Fallen Angel
by Aria6
Summary: Axel discovers a beautiful little boy on his balcony. The problem? He's on the 15th floor. How did the boy get there? Could he really be an angel? And why is Roxas here? The snake knows... read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is loosely based on the book of Job. Sort of a religious AU. Nothing is meant to be taken seriously although the way Satan acts in the book of Job and several other stories makes the theory about him possible. Also, this was inspired by an idea Tekko bounced off me. She should eventually be writing a companion story. TEKKO! GET WRITING! NOW! Um, anyway. On with the show!

_Heaven was a glorious place._

_That was its nature, however. Not something that needed to be looked after and tended and therefore it always seemed somewhat less satisfying than the material plane. The souls that burned there seemed to think so. Inevitably they slowly drifted to the Forge of Souls, a particular layer of Heaven where the souls were recombined and found their way to the material plane again. Right now the Almighty was observing the Forge. Angels darted too and fro, carefully recombining the scattered soul pieces and creating new and joyful combinations._

_A little angel was helping them. He wasn__'__t doing it very well and the other angels were kindly correcting his mistakes and carefully not pointing out to him that they didn__'__t really need his help. He was gradually getting better which was actually very unusual for an angel. They were meant to be what they were, no more and no less. Only the greatest of angels had the capacity to learn and this one was not a great and powerful angel. Yet he was different from most. Small and weak but built with a curious complexity he had been a roll of the dice by his creator. Very few people understood that the Eternal was the ultimate gambler. But usually he did not gamble with his angels._

_The Almighty was proud of this particular angel. His nature was so kind and sweet and he was always ready to help. And when he set himself to a task he learned it with all his heart. But his great gift, created by freak chance, was the ability to create soothing harmonics. He was beginning to do that now as he worked and the other angels fell into a contented state. It was beautiful to watch._

_The Eternal became aware of another angel by his side. This one was truly great and powerful and it wanted his/her/its attention. The Almighty shifted that attention to it and the angel began to communicate._

"_Lord of all, you have a beautiful angel." Satan said diplomatically and the Eternal rumbled a laugh. Angels paused to look up from their work then returned to it. There was nothing unusual in The Adversary and the Eternal discussing matters. It was his function._

"_I sense a '__but__'__ coming." That was the function of The Adversary, to put forth buts and objections. He was the Prosecutor and he played a vital and interesting role. Of course, it was expecting too much of mortals to understand that. They simply thought of him as evil when the truth was far more complex._

"_Yes. He is a beautiful angel and utterly faithful to you but that faith has never been tested. Would he be so faithful if he had to act against his nature?" The Almighty considered it. With a normal angel he would have scoffed but this angel was different.__ Most angels were tightly constrained to their roles and essentially had no free will. The powerful angels were less constrained but still had boundaries. Even this little angel had one boundary, but that was all. In most ways he only had his talents and inclinations to guide him._

"_An intriguing question. What do you suggest we test him with?"__ The Adversary seemed to smile. He knew the Almighty would take his suggestion. He could never resist a gamble._

"_Well, there'__s a mortal that could use testing as well…"_

* * *

"Zip a dee doo da, zip a dee yay. My oh my what a wonderful day. Plenty o' sunshine headin' my way." Axel fumbled with his grocery bags as he struggled to pull out his keys. In an impressive display of strength and coordination, he was carrying about twelve of them. As well as two fabric ones slung over his shoulders. The bus driver had been less than impressed, but what could you do. "Balls!" The key had slipped away and clattered onto the floor. Resigning himself to the inevitable, Axel set down half the bags to fish it up. "Here we go." Finally letting himself into his apartment, Axel glanced around for a moment.

It wasn't a bad apartment. A bit on the boring side and decorated largely with old pizza boxes and empty cans of Dr. Pepper, it was what you might expect from a college kid. Which Axel wasn't, but he was in the right age range so it worked. If he was still living like this at fifty he supposed there might be some cause for concern.

Shrugging off the thought, Axel carried the bags to the kitchen and began putting the cold items away. The rest he left in their bags. He'd get around to them when he got around to them, or when he ate them. It didn't really matter which. Snagging a box of crackers he went to play on his computer. Axel was just turning it on when he became aware of a noise.

"…?" Curious but not alarmed, Axel went to check his balcony. Perhaps a bird had crashed against the window. He was on the fifteenth floor so thieves were almost out of the question. So he was very surprised indeed when he saw a boy on his balcony, curled up and sobbing as if his heart was broken. "Woah! How the hell? Who are you and what are you doing here?" Axel demanded and was taken aback as a golden head lifted and dark blue eyes, deep and drowning as the sea seemed to suck him in.

"I'm R-Roxas." The boy hiccupped and the spell was broken, but Axel could see he was terribly upset. "He sent me away and I don't know why!"

_Poor kid. Someone must have kicked him out. But how did he get here? _Axel glanced up at the upper balconies dubiously. Could someone have thrown him off? No way! Yet, it was almost more plausible than the kid somehow swinging over. The nearest balcony to his was way too far for that. Deciding to put that consideration on the back burner, Axel helped the child to his feet. The boy blinked at him and Axel couldn't help but notice how cute he was. And how young. Axel thought he was fifteen, maybe sixteen. Just a kid really.

"Who sent you away? I'm Axel." Roxas looked bewildered and for a moment Axel wondered if there was something really wrong with him. But then he answered.

"The one above us." Axel glanced up at the balconies again. "I mean… higher… I don't know what I mean! I'm so scared!" Roxas started to sob again and Axel gently patted him on the back. The golden haired boy gripped him tightly and sniffled into his shirt.

"…Feels soft." He murmured as Axel soothed him and considered what to do. He couldn't just throw the kid out.

"Come on in Roxas. I'll make us both some hot chocolate, how's that?" Axel gently coaxed the blonde inside. Roxas looked around like he'd never seen an apartment before and Axel went to make the drink. "Do you like marshmallows in your chocolate?"

"Yes please." Roxas had no idea what he was agreeing to but it seemed easier than asking. Looking around, natural curiosity took over and when Axel came out with two steaming mugs he was poking at the TV. Axel laughed as Roxas leapt back guiltily.

"It's just a TV Roxas, I don't mind. Here, and be careful, it's hot." That warning proved futile a moment later as Roxas tried to take a drink and yelped as he burnt his tongue. Then his eyes went wide as the taste hit him.

"This is wonderful!" Roxas had never needed sustenance before so he had never tasted anything. Although he was beginning to realize that he'd been given some knowledge of the place he was living in. "This is your home?"

"Yep. It's not much, but it's mine." Axel's smile was so cheerful and Roxas felt something inside him go gooey. The feeling was odd and new but it didn't worry him too much. He was often feeling new things. "So who is your family?" Axel intended to report someone to the police, if he figured out how Roxas had ended up on his balcony. The kid could easily have been killed. Roxas chewed his lip for a moment before he answered.

"I - I don't have one. Or I have a huge one." Roxas knew where he was. This was the material plane… but how could he explain his true nature to a human? Was he supposed to? But he'd been given no guidance and truth was usually the right thing… "I'm an angel." Roxas admitted as Axel looked at him blankly. "From heaven?"

"Um… okay." Axel privately decided Roxas had to be suffering a head injury. An angel? It was imaginative anyway. Axel didn't discuss it much but he was really pretty serious about his religion. "Why would an angel be drinking hot chocolate in my apartment?" Axel asked, deciding to roll with it a bit. Roxas wilted slightly.

"I don't know." Suddenly it occurred to him that his arriving here couldn't be a random thing. No, this was where he'd been sent. "I think I'm supposed to stay with you." Roxas glanced around the apartment doubtfully. It seemed like an odd place for an angel to live. Axel blinked at him then laughed.

"Roxy, cutie, even if I needed a live in boyfriend you're a bit on the young side. And it's good to get to know you first!" Roxas blinked uncomprehendingly. Axel regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, sipping his hot chocolate. What _was_ he supposed to do with a teenager with delusions of being an angel? "You can stay here for now though, until I find your family. C'mon, bed is right this way." He couldn't just kick the blonde out, weird as it was. When Roxas was settled and comfortably dozing, Axel gently checked his head for injuries and found one rather large bruise on his right temple. Could he have lost his memories and somehow come up with the idea he was an angel?

Anything was possible he supposed. He'd have to call the police department tomorrow and see if anyone was missing a blonde.

* * *

"C'mon Roxas, we're going to the clinic." Roxas looked up with a blink as Axel pulled out a coat for him. "Wear this." It was nippy outside and while Axel's coat would be too big for the boy, it was much better than nothing. The pure white clothing Roxas was wearing didn't look like it would protect him much from the chill. Roxas hesitantly pulled on the coat and cuddled the soft, warm fabric.

He was finding that he loved the material plane. The spiritual plane was lovely as well, to be sure, but the sensations were so much more… muted there. There was no intense feeling of taste or touch. It was very alien and sometimes he missed the glory of Heaven but Roxas was enjoying his physical body. Was that why the Almighty had sent him here? But he couldn't even begin to guess at God's motivations.

"Hey? Earth to Roxas?" A hand waved in front of his face and Roxas blushed as he realized he'd been woolgathering. Axel was grinning at him and Roxas stared for a moment, captivated by how happy he looked. "C'mon, we need to go to catch the bus."

"O-Oh. Right." Roxas followed Axel hesitantly as he led him through the building. Finally he gripped the back of Axel's coat, needing the reassurance. "Axel? Why are we going to the clinic?" He wasn't clear on that. Axel glanced back at him, surprised.

"Well, Roxas, um." Axel struggled to find a nice way to put it. "It's not that I think you're lying or anything, but I've never heard of an angel coming to earth. So I want to get you checked out and see if you might have lost your memory." They were actually going to get dental imprints as well as pictures and send them to the local police department to see if Roxas matched any missing person's reports. Axel had been given the option of giving the blonde up to social services, but he'd declined and they'd been just as happy to leave Roxas with him. Social services was pretty stretched in his city. Roxas looked down, feeling rather depressed. Axel didn't believe him? But then, it was a very unbelievable story. Roxas couldn't remember any angel ever being sent to the material plane without guidance before.

"Okay." Roxas was sure they'd find nothing but he was willing to humor Axel. "Just don't make me leave?" Roxas was sure he was supposed to be with Axel. And something about the redhead was intriguing. Axel laughed and ruffled his hair, making the little angel blink.

"Hah! You can stay as long as you want." Roxas smiled and nestled up against Axel as they waited for the bus. The redhead was a little surprised but patted his shoulder, enjoying the contact.

Roxas looked around curiously. So this was the real world. The Almighty had clearly implanted some knowledge into him before sending him away, so Roxas understood what he was looking at. It was still wondrous and new. Axel's apartment building looked rather shabby from the outside but the area itself was pretty, with lots of trees that were full of colorful fall leaves. Roxas bent down and picked one up, marveling at the colors of it, the way the delicate veins traced beneath the surface of the leaf. Then he let it go, watching it flutter away. This was amazing. No wonder mortals were the greatest –

"Hey, earth to Roxas! The bus is here." Roxas blushed at that good natured reminder and wondered how he'd missed the mechanical behemoth pulling up beside them. He wrinkled his nose a bit at the smell but tentatively followed Axel, climbing inside. Axel dumped two pieces of paper into a little box and Roxas tilted his head curiously as they took a seat.

"Axel? What did you put in that thing?" Roxas asked and Axel looked a little startled.

"Oh, that was the fare. You need to pay to ride the bus." Roxas bit his lip. He understood the concept of tokens for goods, but…

"What if you can't pay?" Something about this bothered Roxas. It seemed cruel to leave someone in the cold because they lacked tokens. But Axel didn't seem to think so.

"Then you walk or you don't go. The bus driver needs to be paid and the gas is cruel expensive these days." Axel said easily and Roxas winced. But the redhead did have a point. It wasn't like taking a bus was a necessity, and humans did try to take care of those who couldn't afford necessities. It just seemed sad to Roxas that life was governed by tokens. He would have to think about that more fully. Actually, speaking of money…

"Axel? Don't you have work?" Roxas asked, suddenly concerned. He knew that humans did tasks to earn money/tokens and that was called work. Axel wasn't skipping it to be with him, was he? Axel flashed him a grin.

"I called in and told them I had a family emergency. I won't get paid but that's alright, the call centre will get on just fine without me." That still worried Roxas. Axel was losing money for him? Axel saw the concern on his face and patted his head, making him blink. "I don't need the money kiddo, and I like being lazy. This is cool."

"Oh. Okay." Roxas wasn't sure laziness was a good thing but mentioning that would be rude and he didn't want to offend Axel. The older man was being so nice to him. The clinic was full of people and the nice lady at the counter kindly told them there would be a two hour wait, approximately. Roxas was aware of what the time measurement meant but lacked the experience to know if it was a long time.

"That's a bit. We'll go over to the coffee shop for a while then." Axel said to her and she nodded with a smile. Roxas followed, a touch confused as Axel took him over to an odd little shop with a mermaid woman logo. "Starbucks, my favorite. So what would you like?" Roxas looked at the menu with a feeling of despair. His implanted knowledge hadn't included Starbonics. Axel caught the look on his face and grinned. "How about a nice, steamed milk?" Axel liked those on cool days almost as much as the hot coffee. Roxas smiled gratefully.

"Please." Axel placed the order and they waited patiently. Soon they were both sipping on their drinks and Roxas found he loved the milk, delicately flavored with a shot of almond extract. It warmed his hands too and Roxas closed his eyes for a moment, just reveling in the feeling.

There was a sudden crash and Roxas started violently, almost sopping his milk on the table. Axel looked up with a frown and muttered something unpleasant under his breath. An oily looking man had slammed open the door, letting cold air in without a care for any of the other customers.

"I hate that guy. Ignore it Roxas." Roxas blinked but obeyed, just concentrating on his milk. It got hard though as he heard the man berating the baristas for being too slow. Then when they delivered the drinks he claimed they had done something wrong and he wanted a refund. Axel sighed angrily but didn't say anything. Finally they got the man out the door with a coupon for a free drink. "I wish they wouldn't feed him like that. It's why he pulls this shit all the friggin' time." Axel knew why they tolerated it though. He spent an incredible amount of money here, usually ordering six drinks at a time. Still, it was annoying as hell to watch. Roxas chewed his lip.

"He was being mean to save money?" That seemed like a terrible thing to the blonde. "Your soul is more important than money." Roxas knew that was true but he could see how humans could forget. They couldn't see souls the way an angel did. Axel looked startled but nodded.

"I'd say so." He agreed. They kept drinking and the next people in were a very nice couple with a little girl. Roxas smiled as he watched the child holding her mother's hand. That was sweet. Axel was flipping through something and Roxas looked at it curiously. A real estate catalogue? "Mph, overpriced." Axel sighed as he looked at some of the pictures. "I wish this was mine."

"You want to buy a house?" Roxas asked, curious. He wanted to know more about Axel. The redhead flashed him a quick smile.

"Yep. Right now I'm renting, well, you saw that." Axel wasn't entirely sure Roxas understood though. He seemed a little odd. "I'm saving up for a home but I don't have enough for the down payment yet. I do like looking at the ads though." It was an enjoyable way to spend a bit of time. Roxas looked at the pictures and Axel obligingly moved the ad book so he could look at the properties. "See? This is what I want. A little bungalow. I thought about going to a condo but I want a yard."

"Um. What's a condo?" Roxas' implanted knowledge wasn't full of real estate terms. Axel grinned, amused.

"A condominium. It's like an apartment but you own it and the other areas are owned in common. So no yard." Axel looked longingly at the picture. "When I get my house I'm going to get a dog. A nice big dog that I can take on long walks and play with every day." That was a dream from childhood. He'd had a dog then, a huge husky with a sweet nature. Axel could still remember hugging old Albert's neck and getting thoroughly washed by a wet, soppy tongue.

"That sounds nice." Roxas said with a smile. He knew what a dog was and how humans kept them for companionship. The blonde could see Axel taking a dog for a walk, throwing a ball for it… and himself, laughing and going to grab the ball to throw it again. Roxas blinked at the mental image and shook his head. He wasn't going to be staying here that long. Was he? "Should we be going back?" They had been talking and drinking for a while. Axel checked the time.

"It's been about an hour and a half. Yeah, we should be going." Axel tossed out his cup and they both visited the bathroom before they left. Fortunately Roxas found that full knowledge of biology and hygiene had been included. He had no problems and soon they were back at the clinic. It took a while but eventually a doctor saw them. He gave Roxas a full checkup and examined his bruise.

"There might be a concussion. Do you have a headache? Dizziness, vomiting?" Roxas shook his head. The doctor asked him more questions but couldn't find anything wrong with him. Axel hesitated before speaking up.

"He says he's an angel." Axel said quietly and the doctor frowned. "He can't remember any family."

"Hm. Amnesia is possible but… I think you might be better off consulting a psychiatrist." Axel winced faintly. He'd have to pay for that. His job had health insurance but it wasn't going to recover an unrelated boy who'd fallen onto his balcony. "I can give you a recommendation. And you needed dental charts for the police?" The clinic included dental and the police had contacted them. Fortunately, they weren't too busy so they'd been able to fit it in. Axel nodded.

"Please." Soon Roxas was being scanned although he didn't like it much. Pictures were taken as well but soon it was all over and he was allowed to escape into the cold autumn air. Roxas was very glad of that. He hated the way the humans clearly thought he was crazy, although they were all being very nice about it. Especially Axel. Roxas wasn't sure about Axel. Maybe the redhead could believe him, he seemed more open then most. Roxas cuddled against his side again and looked up as he heard Axel chuckle. He met bright green, vibrant eyes and felt an odd tug in his gut. What did that mean?

"C'mon Roxy, there's a clothing store right over here. You're going to need some stuff." Roxas smiled as he took Axel's hand and they walked away together. They were quite oblivious to a long, thin snake, draped over a branch of a nearby maple tree. It lifted its head and watched them with flat, reptilian eyes until they turned into a store.

Then it vanished.


	2. Roxas' Task

"Ohhh!" Roxas looked at himself in the store mirror, amazed. "I look wonderful!" He blushed as Axel laughed at him. It was probably very vain of him to think so but Roxas didn't think anyone would disagree.

Axel had picked out the clothing he was wearing and as it turned out he had a knack for finding things that would look good on the blonde. Right now he was wearing stone washed blue jeans, a black and white, long sleeved shirt and three necklaces around his neck. One had a small black cross, another had a little gold angel charm and the last had a broken silver heart. Roxas touched the charms and smiled. They were very pretty and made his outfit look unique and individual.

"It still needs something – oh yeah!" Axel tugged Roxas over the the jewelry counter. "You need some rings. And maybe a bracelet." Roxas smiled as he tried on several rings and decided on a simple hematite and ivory band. The bracelet was a bit harder but he finally ended up with a steel cuff set with a black crystal. None of it was expensive and Roxas was glad of that. He didn't want Axel to spend too much on him. Although…

"You're not wearing any jewelry. You should get something for yourself." Roxas said and Axel shook his head with a smile.

"It's okay. I don't like jewelry." Roxas looked down at his necklaces and suddenly wondered if he should take them off. It didn't seem right to take them if Axel didn't have any. Then he looked at the displays of chains and saw something that was perfect.

"You should get this!" Roxas took the chain off its hook. It was another broken heart, matching the half of his pendant. "It says friends. We're friends, aren't we?" Axel looked a little startled but then smiled, catching Roxas' hand and taking the pendant.

"Yes, we're friends." Axel murmured softly, meeting Roxas' beautiful blue eyes. He wasn't sure what else Roxas was to him but they were certainly friends. Roxas smiled and touched his chest. Captivated by his delicate beauty Axel lowered his face –

"AXEL!" They both flinched away from each other and Roxas blinked as he wondered what had just happened. He'd had that feeling again, even stronger than before and he'd liked what Axel was doing. What WAS that? But then he was distracted as a boy charged up and almost smacked into Axel's side. "Hey, why haven't you called? Oh, who's this?" Roxas stepped back as the other man smiled cheerfully at him. He was a nice looking boy with blue eyes and sandy blonde hair cut in a mullet. Axel smiled at him tolerantly.

"Some of us have to work Demy. This is Roxas. He's my own personal angel." Roxas blushed as Demyx gaped at him for a moment then laughed.

"Oh Axel, you're such a kidder! Seriously though. Are you going to be coming to one of my parties soon?" Demyx poked his friend and Axel sighed.

"Oh, I suppose. When's the next one?" Roxas hesitated then wandered away a bit as they discussed things he didn't understand. What was lager? Dismissing it, Roxas idly looked through the magazine racks. He didn't understand most of them but some were mildly shocking. Roxas blinked at the half-clothed woman on the front of one. She looked like she'd be getting cold. Moving on, he tentatively picked up a cooking magazine and flipped through it. The pictures made him salivate a little and Roxas was uncomfortably aware of a pain in his stomach. Was that hunger? Then he was distracted by a child. He was fussing a bit and Roxas couldn't figure out why.

"Are you okay?" He asked the boy and he shook his head. He was a cute little boy with dark skin and black hair.

"My mom wouldn't get me any gum!" Roxas bit his lip, not sure what to do and looked around for Axel. He couldn't just take gum, it belonged to the store. But couldn't they buy the boy some? It was such a small thing and it would make him happy. Roxas hated to see the boy in distress. The little angel felt a great relief as the redhead walked over, Demyx behind him.

"Axel, can we help him? He wants some gum." Roxas asked. Axel hesitated, looking down at the boy then glancing around. He couldn't see a parent anywhere. This wasn't a big city but that still wasn't very safe. On the other hand, the kid wasn't exactly a baby. And Roxas was looking at him with big, beautiful blue eyes…

"Sure, why not?" He found himself agreeing and soon Axel was paying for Roxas' clothing, all the jewelry and a single packet of gum. The boy grabbed it and dashed off without a thank you, which annoyed Axel but Roxas beamed, pleased that they had done a good thing. Roxas nestled up against Axel, oblivious to Demyx watching them with a frown. "Dem's going to give us a lift home." That confused the little blonde.

"A lift?" Roxas looked at Demyx dubiously. "But he can't carry us." That made Axel blink then laugh as Demyx looked equally confused.

"I mean he's going to give us a ride home in his car so we don't have to take the bus Roxas." Axel corrected him gently and Roxas blushed. Then he winced as Demyx laughed. The sound wasn't as nice as Axel's laugh, more derisive.

"Is he retarded Ax?" Demyx shook his head as Axel frowned at him, putting his arm firmly around the little blonde. Roxas peeked out at the other blonde, wondering. He didn't seem like a bad person so why was he being mean?

"He's lost his memory Demyx. Be nice." Axel said sharply. Demyx just shrugged, fishing out his car keys as they walked. His car turned out to be a very nice red Porsche. Although all Roxas knew was that it was pretty and had very comfortable seats. Axel sat with him in the back and Roxas found himself leaning against the older boy, his head nestled against the redhead's shoulder. He was oblivious to Demyx glancing back at them with a frown.

And even if he had seen, the little angel wouldn't have understood.

* * *

"Well, Roxas." Axel ran a hand through his hair as he considered the blonde. He was looking good but there was still the question of what to do with him. It was only a temporary solution but Axel had a few ideas. "If you don't mind, I think we should wait a few weeks for the police to see if they can get any leads. In the meantime, you can keep the place clean and stuff." He'd considered trying to get Roxas enrolled in school but had quickly decided that wasn't a good idea. Roxas seemed to lack basic knowledge of many things and kids could be really cruel. Although if the police couldn't find anything he'd have to rethink things and see what could be done.

"Um, how do I clean?" Roxas looked around dubiously. He wasn't sure what belonged and what didn't. Axel looked around for a moment and shrugged with a smile.

"You tell me… heh. Just don't touch my computer desk at all and don't throw out any of the magazines and books." He was pretty sure Roxas wouldn't do that, but wanted to make sure. The blonde boy nodded. "There's cleaning stuff under the sink."

"Okay Axel. I can do it." Roxas said bravely. He was sure he could figure it out. He'd just take it slowly and carefully, like he had recombining souls. Axel smiled and ruffled his hair for a moment.

"I'm sure you can. If you think you're up to it, you can cook something too, otherwise there's some sandwich stuff in the fridge." Axel checked the time and winced. "And I have to go if I want to catch the bus. Later Roxy." Roxas blushed at that version of his name and watched as Axel grabbed his lunch bag and headed out the door. Then he looked over the house. Where should he begin?

"Right here." Suiting his words to actions he began picking up the pizza boxes. They were an obvious place to start. "Trash bags." They would be under the sink. Roxas worked until he was tired, ate a bit and read a magazine before going back to work. Axel's apartment was such a mess! He managed to clean out all the garbage and then began carefully reading over the cleaning materials under the sink. He followed the instructions carefully but was dismayed to see that there were still streaks on the window when he was done cleaning it. Maybe the outside needed to be cleaned? He carefully opened the window and –

"You shouldn't do that kid." Roxas paused, startled and looked at the sofa. A snake was coiled up on it. The voice coming from it was rough and slightly sleazy. If Roxas had more experience, he might have likened it to a hard drinking, chain smoking gangster.

"Why?" He asked and the snake flicked its tongue before giving an astonishingly human sigh.

"Because you're in a human body, sweetcheeks, and that's a fifteen story drop. If you lost your grip you'd be a raspberry stain on the pavement." Roxas looked out the window, startled, and realized the snake was right. Gravity was very important in the physical world. "And we didn't put you here to have you die in the most retarded way imaginable."

"Oh!" Roxas looked at the snake again and finally understood what his senses were telling him. "Satan!" He was very grateful to see the powerful angel. The Almighty was going to give him instructions! Although it was a little unnerving that he'd choose the Adversary to deliver them. The snake flicked his tail idly.

"Got it in one. So kid, I bet you're wondering why you're here?" Roxas nodded and the snake hissed a laugh. "Well, lovely, you're here to be my little helper. Like one of Santa's elves but a lot less twinkly. I'm getting into subcontracting. Just don't skim too much off the top, ya hear?"

"…Huh?" Roxas didn't understand any of that and just stared at the snake pitifully. Satan seemed to realize he was wasting his wit and his tone turned businesslike.

"I'm busy lately so you're going to be doing my job here. It's your task to try to tempt this mortal, Axel, into sin." Roxas blanched but the snake wasn't done. "Put trials in front of him, test his spirit, that sort of thing."

"B-But why Axel? He's nice but he's not a saint!" The treatment Satan was suggesting was usually done to mortals of unusual virtue, to test their spirit. Or so Roxas had thought. He didn't really know much about it. The Prosecutor sighed, his tongue flicking.

"Kid, you have a long way to go. Okay. What makes someone a saint?" Roxas hesitated and the snake sighed again. "You don't even know do you."

"…No." Roxas admitted, a bit ashamed. He really didn't know anything about humans at all. But then, why should he? He normally had nothing to do with them. He hesitated then sat down next to the snake, which coiled across his legs and looked up at him with flat, reptilian eyes. They gave away no hint of what the Adversary was thinking.

"Okay. This is the Quick and Dirty Guide to Sainthood by the Prosecutor. Keep in mind that I'm leaving a lot out, right?" Roxas nodded and listened attentively as the snake talked. "There are big, flashy saints like Mother Teresa. They're pretty rare and humans notice them, although sometimes they get it wrong. We're not concerned with them. What you and me are concerned with right now is the little saints." Roxas blinked at that. Little saints? "They look like ordinary people. They just have unusual virtue. They're the guys and girls that help other people out, that make the world a better place by living in it. Your honey pot Axel is one of those." The snake hissed a laugh as Roxas tried to puzzle out what honey pot meant. He couldn't eat Axel. Could he? "These kinds of people have only small sins and a great weight of character. It's not as rare as the flashy saints but it's still pretty unusual. Most people muff up the motivations."

"Huh?" That didn't make sense to Roxas. The Adversary flicked his tongue a few times before he spoke again.

"See, most people do good stuff for the affirmation. Either from other people or in their own heads. Which is okay, kinda, but you don't get as many brownie points for it. The character is weaker. Axel doesn't feel that need. So yeah, he's pretty special. That's why he's been picked for a trial of that strength." Roxas wilted a bit, reminded that being special could be a bad thing. If Axel were just a bit weaker he wouldn't have attracted the attention of angels. And then Roxas would never have met him… "It's your job to tempt him. I'll be around to check up on you and give you pointers but mostly it's up to you. Kapische?" Roxas stared at the snake and it sighed again. "That means 'understand?', kid."

"Oh. But how do I…?" This was worse than Axel's directions on how to clean the house. Roxas had no idea whatsoever on where to start testing the redhead. The snake seemed to shrug, which was a nice trick since it had no shoulders.

"However you figure. I'll make suggestions if you're still stumped the next time I come around. Now ciao." Roxas opened his mouth to ask what that meant but shut it with a click as the snake vanished. That had to mean goodbye and he carefully filed the term in his memory.

"I have to tempt Axel." Roxas said resolutely. He was faithful to the Almighty and the Prosecutor was his greatest angel. He would make them both proud of him.

If only he knew how.

* * *

"Wow, Roxas, I'm impressed." Axel was a bit astonished by the change the little blonde had worked in only one day. Roxas smiled at him but he seemed a little pensive to Axel. "Something wrong?"

"No." Really, there wasn't anything wrong. His task just bothered Roxas a little. But he was only going to be tempting Axel. If the redhead did the right thing all would be well and Roxas couldn't imagine Axel doing the wrong thing. That doing the right thing might hurt him didn't occur to the little angel at all. He was still very innocent of the ways of the world. "I'm making some supper." Axel looked with disbelief at the half-finished manicotti. Roxas had found a small Italian cookbook and was making the filling by hand.

"I didn't even know I had the ingredients for that. Do you need any help?" Although Axel couldn't really cook worth a bean. Roxas shook his head with a smile.

"No, I can handle it." Axel turned on the TV and Roxas turned his head to look, curious. He'd tried to watch it earlier but hadn't been able to understand what was happening. Axel turned it on the news and Roxas still didn't understand what was happening.

"Axel? Why is that place burning?" Roxas felt worried just looking at the screen. There was a building on fire. The knowledge he'd been imprinted with said that was bad. Axel shrugged.

"It caught fire? I haven't heard the story yet." Roxas chewed his lip and went back to his manicotti as Axel watched the news. "Hm, looks like they don't know yet. Might have been arson. No one was hurt but a lot of property was lost."

"Oh. That's good." Roxas felt relieved. There was no real pain in Heaven but Roxas had already figured it out. Burning his tongue had hurt. He didn't want to think about what burning alive would feel like. Axel began hunting through a box full of bottles and Roxas looked at him curiously. He'd checked that box but hadn't been able to figure out what the bottles were for so he'd left them.

"Hmm, Cats Pee on a Gooseberry Bush? That could be good." Roxas put the manicotti in the oven and tilted his head at the bottle sitting on the table. Axel noticed his confused look and smiled. "It's wine Roxas. You should try some."

"Wine?" Roxas felt a small thrill. That could be perfect! Drinking too much was a sin, wasn't it? It was worth a try. "I'd be glad to." He said sincerely and Axel smiled and ruffled his hair. Roxas couldn't resist cuddling up to him again. Axel smelled so nice and felt so good. His shirt was soft. Axel cuddled him back for a moment before going to get two glasses and pouring them some wine.

Roxas watched, intrigued, as Axel swirled his wine. He noticed the little lines the wine made as it slid back down the edges of the crystal glass. Roxas mimicked the redhead, swirling his wine and taking a tentative sip. To his surprise the taste was… good. Very pleasant indeed. Axel smiled at the shocked look on his face.

"Go easy on that Roxas. You don't want to get drunk." Roxas silently agreed. The idea was to get Axel drunk. Although, that didn't seem like much of a sin. Was he doing this wrong? Probably, but the Prosecutor could help him if he was. Axel sipped his wine again. "Want to hear something neat?"

"Sure." Roxas listened attentively as Axel told him a story about how he'd made something happen for a customer. Roxas couldn't understand much of it but it sounded like Axel had really gone out of his way to make everything good for her and she had been very happy. Axel was delighted by how things had gone and it showed in his voice. That made Roxas happy too.

The wine went perfectly with the Italian food and Roxas blinked, touching his nose. It felt hot? And so did the tips of his ears. That was strange. Then he shrugged and poured himself another glass of wine. If he wanted Axel to keep drinking he would need to drink with him. And the wine just tasted so nice.

"Ah, Roxas! Your ears are turning red." There was laughter in Axel's voice and Roxas blinked at him, touching the tips of his ears. "Just like Demyx." Axel wasn't very concerned though. His friend started to get flushed long before he was in any danger of getting drunk so he assumed Roxas would be the same. Then the little angel hiccupped. "Roxas?" Axel blinked as the blonde swayed slightly. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel wonderful." Roxas murmured as he drained his glass. "Can I have more?" Axel looked amused and shook his head, taking the bottle away and making the little blonde pout.

"You're getting drunk Roxas." The angel boy clearly couldn't hold his liquor. He was very cute like that, though, with glazed eyes and bright red ears. Although his swaying was a little alarming. Axel stood and went to Roxas' side, touching his shoulder to steady him.

"I am? But I wanted to get you drunk…" Roxas said, a bit incoherently. Axel blinked as the blonde leaned against him.

"Why would you want that?" Roxas still had enough sense not to answer. Besides, he was starting to feel sleepy… very sleepy. "Silly angel. Come on, I think you need to go to bed." It was a bit early to sleep, only nine, but Roxas was young. Axel remembered sleeping for almost twelve hours when he was a teenager. He gently helped the little angel to the guest room, tucking him in and smiling as he dozed off almost instantly. Axel gently placed a kiss on Roxas' cheek before he quietly closed the door.

They were both oblivious to the sniggering sound coming from under the couch.


	3. Autumn Days

_The Almighty and the Adversary both watched a little sleeping angel. Of course, the Almighty watched everything. But seldom did he pay this much attention._

"_He's going to be absolutely terrible at this." The Adversary observed and the Almighty silently agreed. "But it should be highly entertaining."_

"_We don't pose these challenges for entertainment." The Eternal gently admonished his angel. The Prosecutor accepted the correction without complaint. It was his nature to enjoy his work and sometimes he enjoyed it a bit too much. "But I will be interested to see if he can remain faithful through this test." Roxas had a very kind nature. To do something that might hurt someone else was simply not in him. If Axel ever showed signs of succumbing to a temptation, how would Roxas react?_

_It might take a very long time for it to happen, but time was not a consideration to The Almighty and his angels._

* * *

Roxas marveled at the beauty of the park on autumn. Leaves were dancing across the ground and he watched, amazed, as they slid through the air and fell into pretty piles across the cold scorched, brown grass.

"It's so pretty." Roxas said dreamily. Then he looked up as a warm arm slid around him and met bright green, warm eyes. Axel's smile was just as lovely as the leaves to him and Roxas snuggled up against his warmth.

"It's nice, but I prefer it in the spring. All the trees are in bloom and the hills are covered in crocuses. Those are pretty little purple spring flowers." Roxas' eyes widened at the image and he glanced around, trying to imagine it.

"It gets better?!?" The little angel had a hard time believing that. He loved everything about the park just as it was. Although the wind was a bit cold, but Axel was warm. Roxas glanced up at the redhead and smiled. It was so nice just being with him.

"So Roxas, would you like to come to Demy's party with me?" Axel asked casually, oblivious to the blonde's thoughts. Roxas blinked then looked down, feeling a bit subdued.

"I – I wouldn't mind, but he doesn't like me." Roxas wasn't sure why Demyx didn't like him. It had been a week and things had settled into a routine. Roxas cooked, cleaned, read books and watched TV while Axel was at work. He also tried to figure out how to tempt the redhead, but that was proving to be hard and Satan hadn't come by to give him any insight. Demyx had come by twice so far to visit Axel and each time he'd said something that struck Roxas as mean spirited. Axel blinked, surprised.

"I'm sure he doesn't, Roxy. Demyx likes everyone." Although Axel had noticed that his friend had a faint edge with Roxas. He wasn't sure why. "And there will be a lot of people there. He won't be mean to you in front of them." That cheered Roxas a little.

"Are they your friends?" Roxas asked hopefully. He wanted to get to know Axel's friends. The redhead nodded with a smile. "I'll come. Will there be wine?" Axel laughed at that and cuddled him, making Roxas blush.

"Mostly beer but I'm sure we can find some wine for you." Roxas beamed and Axel noticed all over again how cute the boy was. He was wearing a white and red toque today with a white pom pom hanging off a long white string and matching mittens. Roxas just looked so young and innocent like that. Axel himself was wearing black leather gloves and black fur earmuffs. He suddenly chuckled as something occurred to him and Roxas looked up at him questioningly.

"Just thinking. We probably look like brothers." Roxas blinked and frowned a bit, not understanding. "I mean, if a stranger saw us they'd probably think you're my baby brother." Not because they looked alike, really, but because of the age difference and clothing. Roxas shook his head firmly.

"I don't want to be your brother." He wasn't sure what he wanted from the redhead but it wasn't that. Axel looked a little surprised then smiled and took Roxas' hand. The blonde smiled back and squeezed his hand.

"I don't either." Axel murmured, feeling somewhere between aghast and amused at his own feelings. He knew exactly what he wanted from his little angel but it was far too soon. And Roxas was too young. Or was he? Axel didn't know his age. For all he knew, the blonde was a young looking twenty. Axel pulled himself out of his thoughts and smiled at Roxas again as they walked. The only people they saw in the park were a few other walkers, mostly with dogs. Axel looked at the dogs longingly, especially the big ones.

"That's so cute!" Roxas suddenly said and Axel turned to look, smiling as he saw what had caught his attention. It was a little Chihuahua, bouncing through the tall grass. He had to jump with every step to see and seemed to be having the time of his life. Roxas knelt down, holding a hand out and the dog ran over to give him a sniff, wagging his tail. Axel reached down to gently pet him as the owner ran through the grass, a little out of breath.

"Pluto!" The dog barked at the sound of his name and ran to the boy. He was a young brunette with eyes almost as blue as Roxas' and a ready smile. In fact, the two were oddly similar. "Sorry about that."

"It's no problem. He's very nice." Axel said politely as Roxas pouted a little. He'd wanted to pet the dog. The brunette smiled again and picked up his dog, running back through the grass. Axel spotted a silvery haired young man holding an empty collar and looking mildly vexed and amused.

"Who was he Axel?" Roxas asked and Axel shrugged.

"I don't know Roxas. It's a big city, I've never seen him before." He doubted he'd ever see the brunette again. Just passing ships in the night. Roxas looked a little troubled. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. He just seemed nice." Like the kind of person you might want to get to know. Kind of like Axel, really. Axel smiled and patted him on the top of his head, making the blonde blink.

"There's a lot of nice people in the world, Roxy. You'll get to meet some of them at Demy's party tonight." Roxas cheered again at the thought. He was going to meet Axel's friends! Although… he was supposed to be tempting Axel. What should he do next? The alcohol idea wasn't working. Axel drank wine with supper all the time but usually only a glass or two. Roxas could get him to drink a bit more but he'd never come anywhere near drunk, and Roxas himself usually ended up tipsy. Axel clearly thought it was cute but it was frustrating for the little angel. There had to be a better way. "I was wondering." Roxas tilted his head as he heard a slightly odd tone to Axel's voice. A deliberate casualness. "I'm going to be going to church on Sunday. Would you like to come?"

"Church?" That was actually a very odd thought for an angel. They didn't have to worship the Almighty. He was always there, in Heaven. "I don't know, it feels odd." But Axel just nodded but Roxas caught the disappointment there and took his hand again. "I'll go with you." Axel smiled and it was like the sun coming out. Roxas stared, dazzled by the redhead.

"Thanks Roxas." Axel said. He was hopeful that Roxas would enjoy it and want to come with him every Sunday. Of course, if he didn't that was fine. He'd rarely dated anyone who shared his commitment to religion. "Hey, want to stop at Starbucks on the way home?" It was getting colder and they'd been walking for some time. Axel was ready to call it a day and from how red Roxas' nose was, he probably was too. The blonde beamed.

"Starbucks! Yes please, I'd love a steamed milk." Roxas loved the smell of coffee but found the actual taste to be rather vile. Steamed milk was his beverage of choice. Axel laughed and patted his head again, teasing the little pom pom on a string with one finger.

"You're such a kid Roxas." It was absolutely adorable though. Roxas pouted cutely then suddenly took off running.

"Race you to the car!" Axel was surprised but then took off in hot pursuit. He could easily have won, with his longer legs, but he let Roxas stay in front.

He just liked watching the little blonde.

* * *

Roxas pulled off his coat and looked around curiously as he hung it up.

He and Axel had just arrived at Demyx's place. It was a beautiful old house full of dark wood and carvings. The ceilings were high and done in a very Italian style, or so Axel thought. There were very pretty, crystal beaded chandeliers and lovely little lamps with stained glass shades. It was all very old fashioned but nice. To Roxas it was inviting and warm and right now it was full of people and the sounds of conversation. Axel hung up his coat and led him into the main room. Roxas blushed and smiled shyly as several people looked at him curiously.

"Axel! Glad you could come!" Demyx eased through the crowd. The blond boy was holding a beer and smiling. "The canapés are on the table over there and we've got beer and you mentioned you were bringing a bottle of wine?" Axel grinned and held out the bottle. It was an inexpensive but rather nice Australian bottle named Cockfighter's Ghost. Axel had a definite fondness for wine with funny names. "Excellent! I'll add it to the table."

"Like any of you will drink it. Hi Vexen." Axel greeted a blonde man with icy green eyes. He nodded at Axel then looked at Roxas appraisingly. "This is my little angel, Roxas." Vexen smiled at that and Roxas blinked, surprised by how much nicer he looked when he smiled.

"So I've heard. The child that appeared on your balcony. Welcome." Vexen offered his hand and Roxas took it. The handshake was good, firm but not painful. "I don't suppose you play chess?"

"Why, yes!" Roxas was very surprised to find that he immediately knew what chess was and how to play it. Why had that been included in his imprinted information? Well, it wasn't his place to question The Almighty. Vexen smiled again as Axel looked slightly surprised.

"Excellent. You'll have to favor me with a game, after you socialize a bit." Vexen was sure Roxas would want to talk a bit and get a bit of wine before they played. Roxas nodded, smiling happily. "Let me introduce you to Marluxia."

Axel and Vexen quickly introduced him to the rest of the group. They were a pretty varied lot and Roxas earnestly tried to remember all their names and faces. They would mostly be easy. Xaldin, Xigbar and Luxord were all playing a game of cards while Marluxia was chatting quietly with Demyx and two girls were playing a Wii game. They were introduced as Larxene and Xion. Everyone seemed nice, although some of them seemed very curious about Roxas. That wasn't surprising though. A kid appearing out of nowhere wasn't really a common occurrence.

Roxas found himself playing chess with Vexen. He wasn't very good at it but it was still very fun, and the wine and puff pastries were nice. He was vaguely aware of Axel and Demyx talking deeply about something. Roxas looked up Axel walked over to the chess table quickly, frowning. He blinkedin surprise as he realized Axel looked almost angry.

"I think we should go." Axel told him then managed a thin smile. "After you're done your game." He didn't want to interrupt Roxas and Vexen. Roxas glanced at the board and shook his head with a smile, tipping over his king.

"I was going to lose… thank you for the game." He said to Vexen and the other man smiled, waving it away.

"It was nothing. I enjoyed it." Roxas might not be the best player but he wasn't bad. Vexen had enjoyed it. He watched as the two of them departed, getting on their coats and stepping into the chill autumn air.

Xion had already left since she had to wake up early so they weren't the first to leave. Roxas could tell Axel wasn't happy though, as he walked briskly to the bus stop. Roxas had to struggle to keep up.

"Axel? Is something wrong?" Axel glanced at him and seemed to realize he was going too quickly, slackening his pace to let the little blonde catch up.

"Not really." Roxas looked at him questioningly and Axel sighed. "Demyx isn't very happy about you staying with me. He suggested I turn you over to social services." Demyx had made a few good points, Axel had to admit. It really wasn't his responsibility and right now he was clothing, feeding and caring for the little angel. But Axel knew that the police had found no leads, not even a hint of who Roxas might really be. So if he gave the boy up he'd probably go to a group home. Roxas' eyes widened and he gripped Axel's arm tightly.

"Please don't? I want to be with you." If he was sent away Roxas wouldn't be able to follow The Almighty's instructions. What would happen then? But there was another feeling under that concern… he just wanted to be with Axel. He didn't want to be forced away from him. Axel smiled and gently patted his hand.

"No one's going to make you go away Roxas. Not unless you want to leave." Roxas smiled, relieved and to his own surprise gave Axel a quick peck on the cheek. Axel was stunned for a moment, his green eyes wide. Then he smiled and returned the kiss. Roxas almost gasped at the feeling of warm lips on his cheek.

Then the bus pulled up and they both got inside, enjoying the warmth of city transit. Roxas curled up against Axel's side as the bus began it's jolting, stop-start route home.

He hoped this never ended.

* * *

Roxas was taking a shower. It was a particularly cold day and Axel's apartment didn't always have very good heat, so the hot water felt absolutely wonderful. He had his hair full of shampoo and was quietly singing to himself when it happened.

"So what you up to kid?" Roxas jumped with a squeak as the rough voice spoke behind him. He turned to see the snake coiled around the shower bar.

"Satan!" Roxas wasn't concerned about his nudity and smiled at the powerful angel. "I'm so glad to see you. I'm not sure what to do?" He said plaintively and the snake hissed a laugh.

"First, rinse out your hair darlin'." Roxas blushed and attended to that, getting the suds out of his golden curls. "Better. What have you tried so far?" Of course, the Adversary knew very well what Roxas had tried. If you could call it trying. But he wanted to hear the little angel explain it.

"I tried to get Axel to drink more." Roxas confessed. "But it doesn't seem to be working. I'm the one who gets drunk and I don't know what to do." The snake shook and for a moment Roxas was afraid the Prosecutor was angry with him. But then he realized Satan was laughing.

"Haha, get him drunk… sweetie, drinking to excess is indeed a sin but that's mainly because of the wasted potential and damage to others. Have you thought about why humans drink to excess?" Satan asked. Roxas shook his head, wide-eyed. "Mostly because they hate themselves, hate their lives or have something they want to blot out, completely. Does any of that sound like Axel?"

"…No." Roxas admitted. The snake flicked his tail in agreement.

"Now, we could pose such challenges to him that he might go that way… but that's beyond your power, little angel. At the moment anyway." Roxas blinked, not understanding what the Adversary meant. The snake didn't elaborate. "Maybe the church sermons will give you a few ideas. Although humans have odd ideas about what constitutes a sin. Did you know some of them think that being gay is a sin?"

"Being happy? Why?" Roxas asked innocently and Satan paused. The snake seemed taken aback.

"Ooookay. I have to talk to The Eternal about that information dump he gave you. Well, you're living with the redheaded boy toy, I'm sure you'll figure it out. I'll be back in a couple weeks to see how you're doing. Ciao!" Roxas reached out in a futile attempt to keep Satan there, but the angel vanished.

"…This isn't very fair." He said to the air, almost pouting. Then he sighed and went back to his shower, soaping himself up. There was a plus side to being really bad at this. The longer it took him to tempt Axel, the longer he could spend with the redhead.

"Hey Roxas!" Axel got home later that night and smiled as he stepped in the door. "Mmm, that smells good, what is it?" Roxas looked up cheerfully from the kettle he was stirring.

"Goulash!" He said with a smile. "And fresh bread. I made it myself!" That had taken a lot of work but the apartment was spotless now. And Roxas had found that he enjoyed cooking. Axel blinked then laughed.

"You're spoiling me something awful." Axel dumped his backpack on the couch and cut the bread as Roxas finished the soup. Soon they were both eating and drinking a bit of pinot noir. Axel watched the little angel for a moment, smiling at his obvious pleasure in the food and wine. "Mmm, Roxy?" Roxas swallowed a mouthful of the goulash as Axel looked a little pensive. "I've been meaning to talk to you about this… it's been over a week and the police haven't found any leads." Roxas felt a bit of trepidation. Axel wasn't going to ask him to leave, was he? "I think you should get tested to see about what grade level you are, and maybe go to school. Or if you're Uni level, you could get a job." There was just no way Axel was going to put Roxas through University. He couldn't begin to afford it when he was saving for a house.

"A job?" Roxas was aware of what that entailed. Doing tasks for money. He was sure it wasn't too pleasant but Axel could use help with money and he wanted to contribute. "Okay. When can I get tested?" Axel smiled, a touch relieved. He'd been worried about how Roxas would take that.

"This Thursday. I've already made the arrangements." Axel wondered how Roxas would do on the tests. Right now, he wasn't sure how old the blonde was. He was guessing fourteen or fifteen, which was just too young for what he really wanted. But he could be entirely wrong. The amnesia and his conviction of being an angel made Roxas seem even younger than he might be. The tests would give him a good indication of how old Roxas really was. If he tested out like a high school graduate, well… Axel shut down the thought firmly.

He didn't know yet, and he wasn't going to go there until he at least had a good idea.


	4. Who's the Snake?

_"Almighty?" Satan and the Eternal were together again, idly watching the material plane. Axel and Roxas were at an ice cream parlor, sharing a milkshake. It was really quite adorable and there was no mistaking the attraction at work. "Why did you give him that old definition of gay?"_

_"No reason." The Adversary accepted that easily although the lesser angels would have had a difficult time. The greater angels had to work in the material plane so they were more accustomed to chaos. What humans did not understand about the Almighty was that while he saw everything, he did not directly control it. That was what facilitated free will and meant that events could surprise even the Eternal._

_"Well, I just hope he knows about sex or I'm going to have an odd conversation with him after a wet dream." Satan commented and The Almighty chuckled._

_"I'm sure you could handle that. But he knows all the basics of his anatomy." Although some types of sex would confuse the little angel. He was still quite innocent of the world._

_They would just have to see how it went._

* * *

Taking the tests was an experience for Roxas. Knowing that the Almighty had given him a great deal information was different from being forced to search the depths of it. But it turned out he'd been given rather a lot. He was good at math, writing and knew all the basics of science. He was terrible at politics, social studies and history. It was like he had all the hard skills but few of the soft.

Nevertheless, the tests showed that he was at a high school graduate level. With that information in hand Axel and Roxas worked at creating documents for him. It wasn't easy but the police and social services were helpful. They had to fill out all kinds of forms and even get signed statements from the police to prove that Roxas existed and was, most likely, not an illegal alien.

"Man, a lot of paperwork. Can't blame them though. This situation might have happened once or twice before but it couldn't be more than that." Axel commented as he filled out another form, this one to get Roxas a SIN. He'd need all of that before he could get a job. Roxas nodded, unsurprised. Everyone still thought he had amnesia and had somehow fallen off a balcony onto Axel's, although they hadn't been able to find anyone missing a blonde. The police had checked all the families above him but no one had seen a thing. Eventually he'd get his SIN, birth certificate and other documents but right now it was quite a hassle.

Roxas served a simple but delicious bread and onion soup for lunch. He smiled as he poured it into mugs and garnished it with a tiny bit of cream and a sprinkle of chives. Axel stared into his mug, taken aback.

"Roxas, how did you get the cream in the shape of a heart?" He asked and Roxas blinked, pushing himself up to peer into Axel's mug.

"I didn't mean to." He said, amazed. It was very cute though. Axel laughed and sipped the soup, savoring the taste of it.

"I heart you too." He said teasingly and Roxas blushed as he tried his own soup, then sighed. It tasted wonderful. The little angel just couldn't get over how intense sensations were here. No wonder the souls didn't want to stay in Heaven, not forever anyway. Roxas suddenly wondered how he would be able to bear going back, but firmly pushed the thought away. The Adversary and the other great angels came to the material plane all the time! It couldn't be that difficult to go back and forth. "Hey, is there any fudge left from last night?" To Axel's amazement Roxas had made a pan of fudge. It had vanished in the only proper way. Roxas shook his head.

"No, but there's cookies." He offered and Axel grinned, going to get a few. The chewy oatmeal and date cookies were homemade too. The only thing Roxas regretted about getting a job was that he wouldn't have time to make such elaborate meals. But he still planned to make them both supper every night. "You're not working tomorrow, right?" Roxas was a bit vague on time but he thought Axel has Sunday and Monday off. Axel nodded with a smile.

"Yes, and tomorrow's church." Roxas smiled as he nibbled on his cookie. Axel had gotten him a very nice wool vest and a light grey turtleneck shirt to wear to church. He said the church was always a little cold so the clothes should be both comfortable and stylish.

They spent a very quiet night together just watching TV and cuddling a bit on the couch. Axel seemed more relaxed than before and Roxas wondered why. He didn't realize that it was due to the age on his forms. Based on the tests and practical considerations, Roxas was going to be listed as eighteen.

"Roxy? I was wondering… on Monday, would you like to go to a movie?" Axel asked, reflecting that it was all a bit odd, trying to date someone you were already living with. That interested Roxas and he looked up at Axel with big blue eyes and a happy smile.

"What kind of movie?" Roxas asked and Axel thought for a moment. Roxas was so gentle but he was still a boy. Would he like something with action?

"Want to see Avatar? It's in 3-D. The plot is a little thin but a lot of special effects." Axel hesitated. "There's a lot of violence though." Roxas frowned a bit at that but nodded.

"If you want to." He said bravely. At first a lot of the TV programs had scared him but he'd come to understand that most of what was on there was fantasy. There was nothing sinful about that. Was there? Roxas made a mental note to ask Satan the next time he saw the angel, but he was sure there wasn't. All the humans he'd met seemed to enjoy it. Axel smiled and ruffled his hair, making Roxas laugh and lean into the caress. He was getting used to the redhead doing that. Suddenly he thought of something and smiled sweetly, reaching up to run a hand through bright red spikes.

"Hey!" Axel said, startled, then saw Roxas' brilliant smile. "Oh, you." He laughed and kissed the blonde on the cheek. He wanted to do more but manfully suppressed the desire. Axel felt that he just hadn't known Roxas long enough, although he definitely planned to date him.

They were both oblivious to the snake idly watching them from the fruit bowl on the kitchen table.

* * *

Church was a fascinating experience for Roxas. The minister's sermon was about the virtue of generosity and how it was good to give to people in need. The little angel could only agree with that. It seemed a little obvious, but maybe people needed reminding.

What Roxas loved, though, was the songs. The choir wasn't particularly good but everyone could join in and Roxas closed his eyes as he sang. He was unaware of the surprised looks many people were giving him.

"Roxas, your voice is beautiful." Axel said reverently when church was over and everyone was leaving. Roxas blinked, surprised. "You should join the choir."

"I should?" Roxas suddenly realized that this must be how his gift worked with humans. As an angel he'd been able to create soothing harmonics that made all the other angels happy. "Oh! Maybe I should. Do they practice often?" He didn't want to be away from Axel very much.

"Every Wednesday for two hours. I used to be in the choir myself before my schedule got so erratic." Since he worked in the call centre Axel worked a wide variety of shifts, although fortunately not the night shift. "Hmm, you should find out what kind of work schedule you'll have first." There would be no point if Roxas was on an odd shift. The blonde nodded, taking Axel's arm and making the redhead smile. "But you have an absolutely lovely voice. It's so… peaceful." That was an odd way to describe someone's singing voice but it was the only appropriate thing to say about Roxas'. The little angel smiled happily.

"Thank you." He said. His gift had always meant a lot to him and Roxas was happy the humans could enjoy it too. When they got home Axel decided to take a nap – he'd been on a late shift the previous day – and Roxas got online. He wasn't really used to the internet yet but he was getting there and –

"Hey kid, type in snake porn. I'm in a mood here."

"Ah!" Roxas started violently at the rough voice and the scales suddenly coiling around his shoulders. "Satan!" Roxas blushed and glanced at the door to Axel's room, hoping he hadn't woken his friend up. That would be very inconsiderate.

"That's me. So how's it going kid? Cutting through the red tape, getting the ducks in order?" Roxas sighed to himself as the snake peered curiously at the screen. He was beginning to wish the Adversary came with a translator. He was addicted to strange expressions and Roxas just didn't understand. "Online ads? Nifty. You're smarter than I thought, kid. So what kind of a job you looking to get?"

"I was thinking of this one…" Roxas pointed to one particular ad. It was for baristas at the local Starbucks. "They say general openings but I know the Starbucks me and Axel go to is short staffed. So if I could just work there I'd be on the same bus as Axel and it's close to where he works." That would be absolutely ideal. They'd be on different schedules but he'd probably get to see Axel when he came by for coffee. Satan tilted his head to one side, his tongue flicking thoughtfully.

"Interesting. A good idea, but did Axel suggest getting a job where he works?" Satan asked. Roxas winced, looking down.

"He did but… he said the customers there can be really mean sometimes when they call in. And he's not sure they would want me since I don't really have a degree." Starbucks wasn't likely to care about that and Roxas was a hard worker. He was sure he could do well there. The Prosecutor nodded slightly.

"Good point kid. I doubt anyone could be mean to your face, but over the phone where they can't see your baby blues they might." Roxas blinked at that. Baby blues? But Satan was still talking. "Any luck on the tempting?"

"No." Roxas was very discouraged by that. He was failing the Almighty and his greatest angel! "Satan, what should I do? Please help me!" He desperately needed help. Satan thought about it a long moment.

"Well, it's a bit tough kid. You don't have the kind of powers I do and you're not much of an actor. So… I'd advise you to keep this in mind." The snake suddenly laughed and whispered in his ear. "Sometimes, the truth is what hurts the most." Roxas blinked as the snake suddenly vanished.

"What does that mean…?" He asked the empty air plaintively. He just didn't understand. How could the truth be hurtful? Wasn't the truth always a good thing? The material plane and all the things in it were wonderful and beautiful but so confusing. Roxas shook his head and went back to his search through the ads.

But he would remember Satan's words.

* * *

Roxas sang softly to himself as he swept the floor of Starbucks #294.

He'd been working there a week and was already getting the hang of things. As the brand new barista, though, he was never left alone. Right now two other baristas were working and things were slow so he was cleaning. Roxas could always find something that could do with a bit of cleaning if he tried. Finishing with the sweeping he began refilling all the condiment trays, then checked the garbage. It wasn't anywhere near full so he left it.

"Mary? Would you like me to clean the bathrooms?" Roxas asked the shift lead, a short girl with gingery hair and plenty of freckles. She smiled at him and nodded.

"Sure thing Roxas." She said amiably and he grabbed the cleaning implements before going to check out the men's washroom. It wasn't a terrible mess but soon he was hard at work cleaning the mirrors and getting the toilets spotless. Roxas sang a hymn he'd heard at the church as he worked.

"Hey there." He squeaked and almost dropped the toilet brush as he heard the voice behind him. Turning around he saw a much older man with slate grey hair and a kind smile. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I startle you?" Roxas blinked then smiled back tentatively.

"A little. Can I help you sir?" He asked and the man smiled again before resting a hand on his arm. Roxas didn't like that much. His skin was warm yet very damp.

"Well, perhaps. My name is Rodney and I'm a talent scout. You really have an amazing voice, have you ever thought about a career in music?" Roxas' eyes widened at that. Music? He had thought about that but Axel had no idea where to begin and the internet hadn't been a lot more helpful. "Perhaps you would like to go to an audition?" Roxas was about to say yes when something moved him to glance over the man's shoulder. There was a snake coiled in the sink shaking its head emphatically from side to side.

"Oh, no, I'm afraid I couldn't." Roxas said, smooth and sweet as honey. He didn't know why Satan himself would appear to tell him this was a bad idea but he wasn't going to ignore the Almighty's greatest angel. "I like singing but I'm not planning to make it a career." Which was true. He wasn't planning on it. It would have been welcome though, so he was definitely going to ask the Adversary what was going on. Rodney looked disappointed and pulled his hand away.

"Well, if you reconsider here's my card." Roxas accepted the small piece of paper to be polite. Then Rodney left the bathroom. "Satan?" Roxas said in a low voice as he stepped up to the sink. The snake slithered over his arm and onto his shoulders.

"Not here kid. Got anywhere private?" The snake said in his ear and Roxas nodded. He hesitated a moment then walked out of the bathroom. He was sure Satan wouldn't be seen unless he wanted it.

"Mary? Can I step outside a moment? I need some fresh air." He asked and she looked at him in concern before glancing at the door. She'd seen Rodney go in after Roxas.

"Sure you can. Are you okay though?" She asked and Roxas blinked, wondering what she suspected Rodney of if anything. The little angel shook his head.

"I'm fine, it's just a little hot in here." He reassured her and she looked a touch relieved. "I'll be back in a minute." Going out the back of the bux Roxas found a good place beside the trash bins. They smelled a bit even in winter. He was sure no one would interrupt them here. "Satan? What was wrong?" He still couldn't see why going to an audition would be a bad idea. The snake snorted.

"If that man was a talent scout I'm the czarina of Tokyo!" Roxas blinked and the Prosecutor sighed, reminded that the little angel's ignorance of political systems was boundless. "And they call me a snake… kid, he was lying through his teeth the whole time he was talking to you. If you'd gone with him he'd have been up you like stuffing up a Christmas turkey."

"Satan! I don't understand you. Please stop using expressions?" He pleaded with the powerful angel. The Adversary paused a moment and reevaluated.

"Okay kid. Let me show you what I saw when I looked at him, just for a moment." Roxas' eyes misted over as Satan brought him back to that moment in the bathroom. And for just a moment he saw –

"Uck!" Roxas slapped a hand over his mouth and tried not the throw up at the vision of that man's soul. It only lasted a moment but it was more than enough. Satan nuzzled his ear comfortingly and the little angel managed to control his stomach. "Oh… how… how could anyone stand to be that way?" Roxas asked, nauseated and repelled. He didn't understand everything he'd seen but he saw now why Satan had thought he was in danger. The snake shrugged.

"I dunno kid. But like I told you before, we didn't put you here for you to die in the most retarded way imaginable." Roxas swallowed hard and nodded, grateful beyond words that the Almighty was looking out for him. "Now, for the future, if someone says they're a talent scout they're probably lying. If you think they _might_ be telling the truth tell 'em you need to bring Axel. Then make sure you do. No going off with strangers, capische?" Roxas nodded. He remembered what capische meant. "You look like a sweet little bun and feel a bit vulnerable. No surprise perverts might dig you. So just be a l'il careful, okay?"

"Okay." Roxas said more bravely than he felt. He didn't understand how anyone could endure having a soul that was one giant flaw, but it didn't really matter. He had learned a valuable lesson today and he would remember.

The Eternal and the Prosecutor might be looking out for him, but he didn't want to have them bailing him out all the time.


	5. Sex!

Roxas squeaked happily as he played in the water at the Y. Axel laughed and tossed him a ball, but Roxas missed and laughed as he was sprayed with water.

This was the first time swimming in his short time as a human and Roxas was finding that he very much enjoyed it. He loved the way the water lifted him up, the way he could bounce so high and move so easily. And it was so much fun playing with Axel.

"I want to do some laps, okay?" Axel said after they'd played for a while and Roxas nodded with a smile.

"Sure!" He watched as Axel took off swimming in a smooth forward crawl. Roxas watched, fascinated, as he reached the end of the pool and gripped the edge, using it to flip himself over in a practiced move. He was very fast. Roxas couldn't know, but Axel had been in the swim team in high school and loved to swim quickly on occasion.

What Roxas did know was that the way the water was flashing off Axel's hair and the way he was moving was lovely to watch. He watched, fascinated, and felt a strange heat spreading through him. He wanted to touch Axel, run his fingers over his skin, touch his wet hair. Roxas suddenly blinked and blushed as he realized he was reacting a little to that thought, even in the cold water of the pool. If he stepped out it would be noticeable and Axel wouldn't take too long. He hastily switched his thoughts to ones of deep cleaning the bathroom at the bux. That helped immediately and Roxas sighed in relief as the heat vanished. Although… he wondered. Should he do anything about that?

He'd been reading some of Axel's books and while most of them were hard to understand, fantasy and science fiction, there were also religious books. Those tweaked Roxas' curiosity, especially since he was trying to find something to tempt Axel with. Could sex be a temptation? Roxas chewed his lip as he thought about it. Would it hurt? Although he really did want to show Axel how much he loved him. But was that a sin? It was all so confusing!

"Earth to Roxas?" Roxas blinked and blushed as he realized Axel had finished his laps and had been trying to talk to him for a while. The redhead was grinning at him, green eyes sparkling and face slightly flushed with the exertion. "Anyone home? It's probably time to check out the hot pool." If they stayed much longer in the cold they'd get pruny and probably end up skipping it. Roxas brightened at that.

"Oh yes!" Soon they were both up to their necks in hot water, having their backs massaged by the whirlpool jets. There were several other people in the pool as well but it was a nice, big pool. Roxas looked over at Axel and smiled. The redhead had his arms out of the water, hooked on the edge of the pool with his head lying back. Roxas would have been hard pressed to do that, but he was much shorter.

"Axel." He murmured and the redhead opened his eyes lazily. Roxas hesitated a moment then nuzzled his collarbone, kissing the warm, hot skin. Axel lifted his head and straightened, catching Roxas' cheek in one hand. Blue eyes met green and both of them felt the spark, the warm attraction lying between them.

"Roxas." Axel whispered and lowered his head to catch Roxas' lips in a gentle, chaste kiss. Roxas melted against him, feeling that warm flush again and hoping it wasn't noticeable. If this was a temptation, that was good, he was doing his job… but who was being tempted? Roxas rested a hand on Axel's chest and –

"Sir? What are you doing with that boy?" The disapproving voice of the lifeguard startled them both. Roxas blushed brightly as Axel coughed then gave her a sheepish grin.

"He's eighteen and my boyfriend." He said simply and Roxas nodded although Axel had never really asked if he wanted to be the redhead's boyfriend. The lifeguard relaxed a little but her tone stayed severe.

"That's fine, but public displays of affection are not allowed in the pool." Axel nodded meekly then smiled, amused, as she walked away.

"Ooops. We'll have to save the PDA's for the bus." Axel's grin was naughty and Roxas blushed again. "Aw, you're so cute like that. Ready to go?" Roxas looked down and realized he was starting to prune up.

"Sure." They both went to the change rooms and had a quick shower to rinse off the chlorine before putting back on their street clothes. Roxas pulled on his toque and Axel flipped the pom-pom, making him squeak. "Hey! Put on your earmuffs." Grinning, Axel obeyed instructions and pulled on his black furry muffs.

They stopped at a different Starbucks on the way home and Roxas frowned faintly as he saw the barista at work making a few mistakes on the recipes. Then he smiled at himself. He was getting really good at the drink making and it was starting to show. Their drinks were simple though, and soon Axel had his cup of coffee and Roxas had his steamed milk. They sipped cautiously as they walked down to the bus stop. Roxas smiled as the milk warmed him then blinked as something wet hit his cheek.

"It's beginning to snow." Axel noted as he looked up into the sky. Roxas looked up at the grey, heavy clouds and tilted his head as he saw the little white flakes. That was snow? "We're going to have a white Halloween."

"What's Halloween?" Roxas had never heard of that and his information didn't include it. Axel looked surprised then grinned.

"You don't know about Halloween?!? You're dressing up as an angel." That confused Roxas. Angels didn't wear clothes so how could he dress up as one? "I'll dress up as the Devil." That confused Roxas even more but then the bus pulled up and he forgot to worry about it. Instead, he got the details of Halloween out of Axel.

"Wow, that sounds wonderful! Um… will we be going to one of Demyx's parties again?" Roxas asked with a bit of trepidation. Demyx still didn't like him and he didn't think the other boy ever would. Axel hadn't said what the problem was but he'd admitted it was unlikely. Axel frowned faintly. He'd finally managed to get the truth out of his friend and knew that Demyx was jealous. They'd dated once, several years ago, and apparently he'd never quite gone on.

"Marluxia will be hosting but Demyx will probably be there." Roxas looked at him, worried, and Axel took his hand with a smile. "Really, don't worry about it. He won't say anything this time." Axel was sure of that. He'd already made his feelings on the matter clear to Demyx. Roxas hesitated but nodded.

"Okay." They got off the bus at their stop and made their way to the apartment. Roxas could see that the seasons were really changing… the leaves were still on the ground but most of the trees had finally given up their loads, except for a few tiny stragglers. It made him a bit sad but surely winter would be just as pretty as autumn. He'd found a few pictures of snow on the internet and was looking forward to seeing it. "Axel, what's winter like?" He might as well ask. Axel considered it thoughtfully as he hung up their coats and Roxas got started on supper.

"Well, it's very cold here. We're too far from the mountains for chinooks so you'll mostly freeze your tushy off. Sometimes we can get a lot of snow and there can be ice, although that's rare. If that happens be careful, it can be slippery and you can hurt yourself." Axel hated the ice. He'd fallen once on a really bad patch and had ended up in the hospital with a minor concussion. Roxas nodded earnestly.

"I'll be careful." He finished prepping the chicken and slid it into the oven. It was a really good chicken from a Mennonite farm and would be perfect with nothing but a bit of salt and pepper. He'd already chopped up the potatoes and carrots earlier and they were snuggled against the chicken in the roasting pan. "There! It'll be done in an hour and a half or so." That would be perfect. The chicken would be done just as they were getting really hungry. Axel nodded as he turned on the TV.

"Sounds good. Want to play video games?" Roxas beamed and joined him. Soon they were playing a new game called Lucky Joy Farm and Axel laughed as they managed to unlock a special quest for Pretty Fun-Fun Lilies. The screen split to let them both do separate tasks and eventually meet up to share the items they'd acquired.

"I'm going for the Merry Joy Wine." Axel said as he tackled a rather complicated mini-game. "You want to get the Happy Glow Stix?" Roxas smiled as he took on another game.

"Sure!" The game was very G rated but it was a nice way to pass the time and when the timer dinged, they were both a little surprised. "Oh! Supper's done." Axel nodded and shut down the game, saving it first.

"Great, I'm starving!" Axel pulled out a nice bottle of merlot to go with it. "Would you like some wine?" He was sure of the answer but it was still polite to ask. Roxas was pulling out the chicken and looked up with a dazzling smile.

"Of course!" Soon the chicken was on a serving platter and neatly sliced. Roxas attended to that as Axel got out the plates and utensils. He was getting very good with knives, when it came to food anyway. "Mmm." He sampled a tiny bit of the chicken and was very pleased. It was moist and full of flavor.

The meal was wonderful but as he drank the wine a thought crystallized in Roxas' mind. He wasn't sure if it was a sin or not but it was something he desperately wanted to do. But how? How did you go about it? He couldn't just ask, could he? Axel was oblivious to the blonde's thoughts, enjoying his meal and chatting about some charity work he was doing for the church. Roxas had wanted to come with him for that but his schedule hadn't permitted it. When the meal was almost done Roxas finally took his courage into his hands.

"Axel…" Roxas hesitated then laid his hand over the redhead's, giving him a light squeeze. Axel met his gaze, startled, then smiled and returned the squeeze.

"Roxas." Axel's voice was deep and warm. Roxas shivered at the tone of it. "Would you like to join me tonight?" Roxas knew what Axel was asking and wanted it from the bottom of his heart. But he couldn't help a flutter of fear.

"I – I do." He said softly. "Will it hurt?" Axel's smile widened and he shook his head, standing and drawing up the little blonde.

"I promise it won't. My little angel." Axel was fairly experienced. He was sure he could make this good for Roxas. The little blonde gasped as warm lips found his and returned the kiss as Axel gently tugged him to the bedroom.

Undressing each other was a process of discovery for them both. Roxas marveled at how someone who seemed so thin and lanky clothed could be so muscular underneath. Although he'd seen that at the Y, it seemed different now, more immediate and wonderful. Axel, meanwhile, was entranced by Roxas' delicate, almost childlike beauty. He was clearly past puberty but he was still so small and sweet looking, his skin creamy and oh so perfect in the dim light of evening. Axel explored the blond with gentle hands and Roxas moaned under the attention, eagerly kissing the redhead again. It felt like his body was on fire and he wanted _more…_

Roxas blinked as Axel found something on the dresser. A tube? The redhead opened it up and smoothed a liquid over his fingers. Then he noticed Roxas watching him uncomprehendingly.

"This is lube, Roxas." He explained softly as he reached behind the blonde, gently fingering his entrance. "Women make their own but men don't, so we need a bit of help to make sure it doesn't work." Roxas bit his lip at the slight discomfort as Axel worked a finger in. It wasn't too bad though and he relaxed into it, accepting the strange sensation. "I have to make sure you're ready for me. It might sting a little but when I'm done it won't really hurt." Roxas nodded, feeling like he was floating on a cloud of sensation. Now that he was used to it that finger felt… rather nice. A second one slid in and he got used to that too, then moaned softly as they brushed something that sent a jolt of heat to his groin. Axel smiled as he saw the blonde's reaction and carefully worked in a third finger, finding that spot and gently milking it.

"Oh, Axel." Roxas gasped his name, eyes wide and blank as he experienced the pleasure. "So good!" The blonde pushed his hips against Axel's fingers, whimpering slightly as his erection rubbed against the redhead's stomach. He wanted more! More what, he wasn't sure but he so desperately wanted it. Axel pulled away his hand and quickly coated his penis with more of the lube.

"Okay." He said breathlessly as he began to slowly insert himself into the little angel. Roxas gasped at the sting. "Shhh… Relax…" Axel whispered in his ear before kissing his throat. Roxas obediently relaxed and gasped as Axel oh, so slowly filled him. It felt strange, so big, almost a little painful but – Roxas suddenly gasped as Axel found that spot again and rocked his hips against him without thought.

"Yes!" Roxas was lost in the sensations as Axel began to move. The feeling of the redhead over and inside him, the intense connection as he looked into green eyes, the way it felt when Axel found that place over and over again… "Yes!" Axel nuzzled his throat and reached down with lube coated fingers to stroke his throbbing penis in time with every thrust. Roxas felt like he could explode at any moment. "Axel!"

"You can let it go Roxas. Anytime… you want…" Axel's breathless words were all he needed and Roxas found his release with a cry of pure pleasure, hugging the redhead tightly as the powerful orgasm took him. Axel buried his face against Roxas' neck as he released, spasms of pleasure coursing through his taller frame. They both lay together a moment, luxuriating in the aftershocks. Then Axel sighed and slowly pulled away, a bit of his seed leaking down Roxas leg. The blonde looked down, surprised at that, and Axel chuckled softly.

"Here, let me clean you up." Suiting words to deeds, Axel quickly found a box of Kleenex and cleaned up the worst parts of the mess as Roxas lay back, smiling. "There. Oh Roxas, I love you." He was absolutely certain of that. His life had been empty until the small blonde had fallen into it. Roxas smiled and reached over to touch his cheek as Axel lay down beside him.

"I love you too." He told the redhead and meant it. The little angel meant it more than he'd ever meant anything in his life.

They were both unaware of the snake watching from the top of Axel's wardrobe.

* * *

"That looked like a lot of fun, kid, but what was it supposed to prove?" Roxas was so tired that he didn't react at all as he looked up from his cleaning. Well, actually he wasn't really tired… he'd gotten plenty of sleep. But his butt was sore. Axel had forgotten to mention that regrettable side effect. "Man you're walking funny. Axel was a stud, eh?"

"Isn't fornication a sin?" Roxas asked the snake, not bothering to keep his voice down. The other barista was on break. A customer came in and Satan didn't answer until after Roxas had prepared her drink and sent her on her way.

"Eh. Kind of. If you seduce someone with the intent to hurt them? Hell yes, it's a sin. If you give them a disease you knew you had? Sin. If you have sex with the person you love to show them how you feel? Not a sin. There has to be malice in it kiddo. Axel certainly wasn't using you as a sex object." The snake rubbed its head against a syrup dispenser and Roxas winced. Even if Satan was the Almighty's greatest angel this just couldn't be sanitary. "If he was doing that, he'd have been down on you the first day like a cop on donuts. Oh man, this stuff tastes good don't it?"

"Don't lick that!" Roxas was appalled. This was _certainly_ a health code violation! "That's gross." He said firmly and Satan sighed.

"This material plane is corrupting you. Well, conga-rats honey cakes, Axel is in love with you. Now what? Have you forgotten about tempting?" The Adversary's tone was waspish and Roxas wilted.

"N – No. I just don't know how." He said humbly and Satan slapped his tail over his eyes. "I haven't found anything to do with the truth." He still didn't understand the Prosecutors instructions. The snake seemed to consider it a moment.

"Timing is everything kid. I think you might get a chance at this Halloween shindig they're coming up with. Heh, I'll even give you a hint. Ask Axel about his costume." Roxas blinked and opened his mouth to ask a question but the snake vanished.

"Costume?" Roxas couldn't remember what Axel was intending to be. He vaguely remembered they'd discussed it but not what the redhead said.

Well, he'd find out soon. Halloween was only a few weeks away.


	6. Roxas' Test

Roxas smiled perkily at the first person into the Starbucks. It was very early in the morning but Roxas loved working the morning shift. He and Axel were both morning people so waking up at five AM was really no trial for him.

"Hi there!" Roxas blinked as he saw the smiling brunette boy. He looked familiar but Roxas wasn't sure where he'd seen him before. There was a silver haired boy behind him, looking tired and a touch grouchy. "Two venti coffees please, before Riku passes out."

"Oh hush Sora." Riku slumped down into a chair as Roxas smiled and began getting their coffees together. Soon he had their coffees ready but was still trying to remember where he'd seen the two of them before as Sora paid.

"Oh!" The exclamation slipped out and the brunette looked at him curiously. "I remember now. I met you in the park. How is Pluto?" Sora smiled, pleased at the recognition.

"Oh, he's doing great! I remember you, you were with the redhead." Sora said and Roxas smiled in return. Then the door opened and someone else came in, cutting their little conversation short. Roxas went to the next customer, reflecting. He thought he might like to get to know Sora. They did look oddly alike. Unfortunately, the next customer wasn't nearly as nice.

"I'm sorry, I can't break that. Do you have anything smaller?" Roxas looked at the hundred dollar bill helplessly. He simply couldn't break it this early in the morning. The unpleasant woman had pulled it from her bra too. She scowled at him then laughed.

"Nope! Guess that means it's free." Roxas blinked and frowned. Another person trying to save a dollar at the store's expense. If things had been busy he might have given in but he wasn't in the mood to let them be scammed out of a toasted bagel and coffee. He opened his mouth to say something harsh – he was learning to be a little mean when the situation called for it – but stopped as he saw the snake coiled around the curtain bars. Satan was staring at the woman intently and Roxas smiled as something in her shirt snapped and suddenly several more bills fell out onto the floor.

"Maybe you could pay with that twenty?" He suggested gently as she looked at the money on the floor, astonished. Then she flushed angrily and grabbed the bills, slapping a twenty onto the counter.

"Don't be a smartass. And I'll be complaining to your manager." Roxas gave her the change and wished her a nice day in the sweetest voice possible, just to annoy her further. It worked and she slammed the door on the way out. Then he noticed the snake licking at the syrup dispensers.

"Satan! Gross… oh, nevermind." He'd just saved the store five dollars and Roxas was pretty sure angels didn't have spit. The Adversary could lick the syrup dispensers. The powerful angel stopped and laughed.

"You're growing up kid! You sound just like a human." Roxas considered that a moment then decided it was a compliment, nodding with a smile. Satan sounded like a human so it couldn't be bad, right? "Just stopping by for syrup. Don't mind me."

"You're awful. Karen's noticed how the syrups been going down." Roxas said, affectionate and exasperated. The Prosecutor was fun to be around even if he was weird. "Satan? Why is Axel dressing me up with feathery wings and a halo?" Roxas blinked as the angel began laughing so hard he coughed.

"Humans and their silly myths! That's how they picture angels, Roxas, and Halloween is a holiday where they wear costumes." Satan sampled a new syrup. "Holy hell, mint! I hate mint… right. Halloween. Dates back to Samhain, a Celtic ritual. Basically humans used to believe that the barriers between this world and the next grow thin on Samhain, so they'd wear costumes to disguise themselves and scare the bad spirits off."

"Is any of that true?" Roxas asked, fascinated. Satan shook his head.

"Nah. Believing twelve impossible things before breakfast is par for the course for humans. Freaks. I've never really gotten it but I'm substitious, as Terry Pratchett would say." Satan sampled the new chai syrup thoughtfully as Roxas tried to puzzle that out. He decided not to ask what par for the course meant and went on to the more interesting part.

"What's substitious mean?" He'd never heard that word before and it wasn't in his information. The Prosecutor laughed.

"Read the books! But it means someone who believes in the stuff we all know is true but don't believe in. Like 'if you don't pick at it it'll get better'." Satan finished with the syrups and slithered onto the floor. "Well, later kid. You're about to get fucked, a tour bus just pulled up."

"What?!?" Roxas stared in mute horror as a good thirty people piled out. The second barista wasn't arriving for another half hour! Soon he was far too busy to think about anything but the drinks he was making.

Strange human rituals would just have to wait.

* * *

"Axel? What are you supposed to be?" Roxas looked over the redhead appreciatively.

He was wearing a wonderful costume. A black waistcoat with gold and red frogging, a poofy white silk shirt and tight black pants. Curving black horns were sprouting out of his hair and along with the makeup he'd applied, Axel looked absolutely diabolical. But Roxas still wasn't sure what he was.

"I decided to go with a Victorian image of the devil. Sort of Mephistopheles." Roxas wrinkled his nose, still uncertain, and Axel grinned. "I'm Satan!"

"Satan?" Roxas echoed, truly confused now. "He doesn't look like that." He said and Axel's smile slid away, replaced by uncertainty.

"Wait. You've seen Satan? The Devil?" Axel sounded very uneasy and Roxas tilted his head before nodding.

"I don't know what you mean by the Devil but I've seen Satan. He likes to be a snake, I'm not sure why. And he licks the syrup dispensers all the time." Roxas' voice took on a slightly aggrieved tone. "I keep telling him it's a health code violation." Any other time Axel would have smiled at that tone. But not when they were talking about this.

Axel had decided some time ago that he mostly believed Roxas about being an angel. He couldn't believe someone could throw a boy off their balcony and somehow conceal any knowledge of him. It was like the blonde had appeared out of thin air and if Roxas was right, that was indeed the case. Of course, if he believed Roxas that made this discussion even more troubling.

"Why would you be talking to Satan at Starbucks?" Axel asked. Just saying that sounded odd. Roxas blinked and looked oddly guilty.

"Oh he – he saved me from a pervert one time. The Almighty is looking out for me." Roxas said. It was the truth, just not the whole truth. He suddenly wondered. Was he supposed to tell Axel why he was here? Was that what Satan had meant by telling him the truth? Surely not! But Axel was talking again and Roxas pulled his head out of the clouds.

"You're telling me the _source of all evil _saved you from a pervert? Roxas, that's bizarre!" Roxas blinked at Axel, startled.

"Source of all evil?" He repeated, bewildered. "That's not what Satan is at all! He's the Eternal's greatest angel." Axel went a bit white at that and Roxas couldn't understand why. It was the truth after all. "He's the Prosecutor, the Adversary. He advises the Almighty all the time."

"Wh – what…" Axel took a deep breath. "What about Hell?" Roxas looked at him uncomprehendingly. "The place where bad people go? For punishment?"

"Huh?" Roxas blinked. He hadn't encountered the idea yet, but Axel's church didn't have a fire and brimstone minister. The sermons were all about how to live better, not the punishments that awaited if you didn't. "There is no place like that. Only Heaven." He knew that. All souls went to Heaven. But Axel was looking really upset.

"That can't be right! There has to be – to be justice! There can't just… there has to be justice." Axel ran a hand through his hair, pulling off the horns and dumping them on the kitchen table as Roxas watched him, worried. "What happens to evil souls in Heaven?"

"You mean flawed souls?" Roxas shivered as he remembered the man who'd tried to pick him up with his recruiter story. "They get recombined more heavily before they go back to the material plane. I helped with that for a while." He had rather enjoyed it once he got the hang of it. There was a great art to determining how to break apart souls and recombine them so they all had a chance of becoming better in the next life. "I don't know. Maybe it hurts if you've been bad?" Roxas said humbly. He actually doubted it, Heaven had no pain. But – "Souls that are truly pure get to become one with the Almighty." Or so he'd heard from the other angels. He'd never actually seen it. It was said to be exceedingly rare. Axel rubbed his face with one hand.

"This sounds like Buddhism." Axel muttered. Roxas frowned, not understanding. "I just – I can't – I need to take a walk." Axel abruptly grabbed his coat, throwing it over his costume. Roxas watched, bewildered, as the redhead left the apartment.

"Weren't we going to the party?" He asked the air and was surprised when it answered.

"Doubt it, kid. Nice going!" Scales slid around his shoulders and a snake head lodged comfortably against his ear. "Now that's how to do it!"

"Huh?" Roxas turned his head to meet Satan's eyes but could see nothing there. Snake's just weren't expressive. But he could hear the glee in the great angel's voice. "What did I do?" Satan hissed out a laugh before he explained.

"You just tempted him kid. With loss of faith." Satan flicked his scales thoughtfully. "These humans think they know everything. They make up stories they need to believe in… and they need to believe in justice. Hah! No such thing pudding. No such thing." Roxas gave the Adversary a pathetic look and the snake cheerfully went on. "You've challenged his belief in the afterlife, cuddles. That could lead to a loss of faith in the Almighty. Because if there's no punishment after death, how can he believe in God?" Roxas swallowed but the Prosecutor wasn't done. "And if he gives up his faith in the Almighty, why should he care about his soul?"

"B – But there are plenty of atheists out there who are nice people!" Roxas didn't really understand how anyone could believe this world was all they had, but it didn't seem to be a sin. Vexen was an atheist and he was a good man, mostly. Satan paused for a moment, thinking.

"Yeah, and that's one way he could go. But see, most atheists never really believed much in the first place. Axel _does _believe and you just kicked down a support in his house. Will he be able to fix it or will the whole thing fall in? That's the question. And good job! I couldn't have done better myself." Roxas hated the pleasure in the Adversary's voice. It was his _job_ and of course the other angel should enjoy his job but… did he have to be so mean? He knew how Roxas felt about Axel.

"I didn't mean to." Roxas whispered, feeling terrible. He'd hurt Axel by innocently telling him the truth about Heaven and Satan. The snake chuckled.

"Yeah, that's why it worked so well kid. If you'd meant to do it, it wouldn't have been half as effective. I couldn't have done it at all, he'd have just thought I was lying. Now might be the time to push him a little. You could try – " Satan was well aware Roxas wasn't listening to him as he mentioned strategies the blonde could try. The little angel was staring away, blue eyes wide and shocked. But this testing wasn't just for Axel. He was interested to see what Roxas would do, now that he'd been successful.

Satan was doing his job well.

Eventually Axel came back home, slightly out of breath and with reddened cheeks from the cold. Roxas had discarded his halo and wings and was cleaning the house, although it didn't need it really. But he found the tasks kept his mind off things. Axel smiled sadly as he saw that and the angel started as he felt cold hands on his neck.

"Axel, ow, don't!" Roxas started away then gave his lover a fond but exasperated look that melted quickly into worry. "Are you okay?" Axel didn't look okay. He looked drained and upset. But the redhead forced a smile.

"I'll be fine. Just have to think about this." He drew a deep breath, meeting the blonde's eyes. "Do you mind if we don't go to the Halloween party? I don't feel up to it anymore." He'd been looking forward to it all week but that had been before Roxas landed this bombshell on him. Roxas sniffed and suddenly hugged the redhead.

"I'm sorry." He whispered and cuddled up as Axel gently patted his back.

"It's okay Roxy." The redhead whispered. "S'not your fault." Roxas wanted to break down crying then. It _was_ his fault. He loved Axel so much and he'd hurt him. Not only that, he'd been sent here to hurt him! But – But surely Axel would keep his faith. Surely he'd come out well. He was so strong and nice.

Surely.

* * *

"You're not following up kid." Satan's tone was disapproving. Roxas covered his face with his hands as he sat on the couch.

It had been a week since his revelations to Axel and things weren't going well. The redhead had had several meetings with his pastor but that hadn't seemed to help. Roxas could see that the truth of the afterlife was eating at Axel but what could he do about it? He couldn't lie to the redhead. The truth was what it was. What could he do?

"I can't." His voice was so quiet it was almost inaudible but the Adversary heard. He made a disapproving hiss.

"Whaddaya mean 'can't' kid? You're an angel. You do what you're supposed to do." Roxas shook his head. "You're disobeying the Almighty?" The Prosecutor's tone was oddly gentle but Roxas shuddered. Before he'd come to the material plane he'd never have imagined going against the Eternal's wishes. But he couldn't hurt Axel anymore than he already had. He just couldn't. The little angel loved the redhead with all his heart.

"Y – Yes." Roxas felt like he was going to cry, admitting that. "Yes!" He shouted at the other angel, who just regarded him evenly, unoffended. "I'm – disobeying! I love him and I can't hurt him anymore!" Roxas dissolved into tears then, too stressed to hide his feelings. Satan waited for the emotional storm to slow a bit before he spoke again.

"You do realize that if you're not doing your job you have to go back to Heaven?" The powerful angel's voice was still gentle. Roxas stared, shocked.

"What?!? I can't…" But he trailed off. Of course he could. He was an angel, he'd been put here for a purpose and if he didn't fulfill that purpose what else could happen? "I don't want to." He whispered and the Adversary sighed, flicking his scales with the tip of his tail.

"We don't always get what we want kid. Take it from me, I know." For a moment Roxas could hear the wealth of experience in that rough voice, the endless years, all the things that had been seen and endured. "But you'll get to say goodbye." Roxas blinked as the door opened and Axel stepped into the apartment, carrying a dozen bags of groceries.

"Hi Roxas – ah! How'd that thing get in here?" Axel dropped his bags and was about to make a grab for the snake when it laughed at him. "AH!" Jerking away from the talking snake he stared at Roxas. The little angel was pale and swaying on his feet. "Roxas?!?" He caught the boy just before he could collapse.

"Axel." Roxas whispered, holding onto the redhead's shirt with one hand. Everything was starting to feel so distant but he had to speak. Had to tell Axel. "I – I have to go back to Heaven. I'm sorry."

"What? Why?!?" Axel clutched Roxas to his chest and looked at the snake, who flicked his tongue at him. That had to be… "Why does he have to go back?" He demanded of the Adversary. The snake didn't respond, leaving it to the stricken angel.

"I'm disobeying… I can't tempt you anymore… I love you so much." Axel stared at Roxas, unable to think of anything but the frail boy in his arms. He could see the life draining out of him and couldn't think of a single thing he could do. Roxas laid a hand over his and smiled weakly. "Remember… I love you… and we'll meet again in Heaven…" The angel closed his eyes and sighed, then didn't draw another breath.

"No!" Axel looked up frantically but the snake was gone. He bent over Roxas, trying to resuscitate him, but he was certain it was too late.

Roxas was gone.


	7. Fin

"…_Did you hear? He had a heart attack."_

"_I can't believe it. He was so young!"_

"_I've heard it happens sometimes. Remember that figure skater? He was what, twenty? It's so sudden though. There's going to be a wake on Thursday."_

"_Will his lover be okay?"_

"_I'm sure he will eventually. He has a lot of friends and the church. But right now he's broken up over it…"_

* * *

_The Almighty and the Adversary watched a sad little angel moping through Heaven._

_Roxas hadn't particularly protested his return to Heaven but he wasn't the same. His vibrations were still soothing to the other angels but they also promoted a kind of lethargy. The Almighty had noticed a decrease in activity wherever Roxas was. Which was fine, in a way, time didn't matter in Heaven. But he still kept the little angel moving a bit. In the long term, the effect was negative._

_Down in the material plane Axel was getting by. It had been five years by the human calendar and the agonizing grief and loss had faded somewhat. Axel had worked through his crisis of faith and even found comfort in the fact that if Roxas was right, he would certainly see the blonde again in Heaven. He'd overcome a great test and was still the kind, giving person he'd always been. And yet… there were scars. The Eternal and the Prosecutor could both see the way he flinched whenever he saw hair that was that particular shade of blonde and the way he avoided Starbucks. The way he sometimes stood on the balcony, his expression bleak as he looked over the city._

"_I think it's been long enough." The Almighty finally said._

"_Almighty?" Satan said questioningly. Long enough for what? The Eternal rumbled a laugh._

"_Long enough for the test to be over. This test, at least." All life was a test and that did not end until death. "There's no need for them to suffer any longer. Fetch me Roxas."_

"_Yes, Almighty." The Adversary sought through heaven and found his quarry almost instantly. The little angel went docily, uncaring about what the greater angel wanted with him. Although he roused a little when he realized he was in the presence of the Eternal._

"_Roxas?" The Almighty's vibrations were gentle and Roxas wanted to relax into them. But he couldn't help but feel hurt at everything that had happened. "It's time for you to have a choice. Would you go back to the material plane again?"_

"_Oh! Oh yes!" Sudden hope flowered in the little angel but then he sensed the Eternal gently pushing him down. Surprised, Roxas listened as the Almighty spoke._

"_Do not be so eager. Before, I created an artificial body for you to house your angelic essence. Despite the mortality of that body you were still an angel. This time, that cannot be so. You are closer to mortal than most of my angels except perhaps the highest, Roxas." Only angels like Satan and the other great angels had such independence of thought. "But if you accept this you will be mortal when I am done. You will be prey to all mortal ailments and you will know the certainty of death. Will you face that?" Roxas didn't have to think twice about it. No sacrifice would be too much to be with Axel again._

"_Yes Almighty. Please, let me go back to Axel." He pleaded and the Almighty assented._

"_This will be different. But you will find a place is already made for you." And Roxas felt like he was falling, shrinking, changing. A great weakness came over him and while he felt smaller he also felt greater in a way he couldn't define. And for the first time, he realized that he'd never really been mortal before. Was this what it felt like to be human?_

_Then his last moments in heaven faded and he returned to the material plane._

* * *

"He doesn't have any family, Doctor. It's up to us to decide." The nurse said solemnly as the Doctor perused his chart, frowning. He looked up with a sigh.

"I know Nurse. And the odds that he'll ever awaken from this coma are very low. But we'll wait until the results come back." He wasn't hopeful. The boy in the bed had doll's eyes, meaning that if his head was turned quickly to the side his eyes remained fixed. That was a sign of severe brain trauma and most likely brain death. "And I just have a feeling…" The physician couldn't have said what it was, but something about the brunette made him want to hope. Hope he would someday come out of his coma and back to the land of the living. The nurse shook her head and he sighed. "You're probably right but –" There was a sudden mumble from the bed and the both turned to look, startled. A hand was reaching up to the ventilator tube. "What the?!?"

The next few moments were hectic as they tended to the suddenly awoken and confused patient. But they managed to get the boy calmed down and stopped him from trying to pull out his breathing tube. Soon they had it removed and the boy was breathing on his own, looking at them with confused blue eyes.

"What… happened?" He said, his voice rough and pained from the long stint under ventilation. The Doctor and nurse exchanged a glance before the physician explained.

"You were in a very bad car accident. Do you remember?" Roxas was silent for a moment as he thought, his mind chasing through memories that weren't his own. He did remember. He remembered talking and speaking to a silver haired man – _Riku. This is Sora's body. What happened to them?_ – and the sudden scream of tires and the sheer terror of the moment before something hit them. "It was a semi-truck. The driver had a heart attack and died behind the wheel. You suffered a spinal fracture and head injuries."

"…Oh." Sora/Roxas said softly, feeling a bit sick. He'd never imagined the cheerful boy he'd met at the Starbucks could have such a terrible thing happen to him. "…Riku. Is he…" The look on the Doctor's face told him everything he needed to know and Roxas closed his eyes. "Oh, Riku." He very much regretted the other boy's death. He could see from Sora's memories that Riku had been a wonderful boyfriend. But Roxas understood what the Almighty had done.

Sora had been brain dead. His soul had already fled the remains of his body and gone to Heaven. He was with Riku now, and since his body was intact enough to be used the Almighty had done so, giving Roxas a home and a ready made history. He also had Sora's memories, since they were engraved in the body left behind. That would be very useful. Roxas wasn't quite sure how he felt about inhabiting someone else's body but he wasn't going to question it. He just wanted to be with Axel again.

It took a week for his battered body to mend, and according to the doctors that was an exceptional recovery. He finally got to Sora's and Riku's apartment to find an auburn haired girl waiting for him, carrying a little dog. Pluto. The dog seemed a little uncertain, sniffing him a moment before deciding he was fine.

"Sora! Thank god you're alright. We were all certain you weren't going to make it." Roxas remembered the girl's name… this was Kairi. He felt awkward for a moment as she gripped his arm but then it melted into friendship. He knew her through Sora's memories. "I'm so – so sorry about Riku." She sniffed, rubbing her face and Roxas hugged her.

"Me too Kai." He murmured into her ear. "I have to go talk to someone. Can you look after Pluto a while longer?" Kairi looked puzzled but nodded.

"I can take care of him as long as you like." Something was a little different about Sora. He seemed far more subdued. But then, he'd lost his lover and been in a horrible accident. That was probably to be expected. Roxas nodded with a smile.

"I'll be back soon." He promised. Kairi watched, puzzled and a bit uncertain as he left. Roxas was impatient so he used his cell phone to call a cab, and soon he was at Axel's apartment complex. Roxas chewed on his lip for a moment, uncertain. He would need to be buzzed in and how could he get Axel to do that? But then he smiled as an older lady used her key and held the door open for him. The little angel took advantage of that and soon he was taking the elevator up to Axel's apartment. Taking a deep breath, he knocked briskly at the door. The redhead answered, opening it just a crack and not undoing the chain.

"I'm not buying anything." He said a touch rudely when he saw an unfamiliar, brown haired boy at his doorstep. Roxas frowned at him.

"I'm not selling anything." Why would Axel assume that? Oh. Sora's memories quickly told him why. Aluminum siding? "Axel, it's me. Roxas. I'm back!" Roxas smiled happily at the redhead and was a bit hurt when he stiffened and scowled.

"You're not Roxas." He said flatly and was going to close the door but the little angel managed to stick his foot in it. "He's dead. I don't know what delusions you have, but you're not Roxas."

"Yes I am." Roxas insisted. "Do you remember the first time we made love? It was after you took me to the Y." Axel blinked as Roxas went on. "We went to Starbucks then we played Lucky Joy Farm. We were looking for the Pretty Fun-Fun Lilies but we hadn't found them when supper was done… remember?" Axel hesitated. He could remember all the details of that day, thanks to what had happened that night, and he knew he'd never told anyone about it.

"…Roxas?" Axel stared into the blue eyes that were almost the same shade as the ones he remembered, the face that was similar although not quite the same. "How?" He hesitated a moment before letting the brunette into his apartment. Roxas took one look and made a face.

"Axel! I'm gone and you let the place go back to being a trash heap?" If anything, it was worse than when Roxas had first arrived last time. There were even more pizza boxes and pop cans scattered everywhere and it had clearly been a week since Axel had done the dishes. The only plus side was that there wasn't much actually rotting. Axel ran a hand through his hair, looking a bit sheepish.

"Cleaning just wasn't fun without you. But Roxas, how are you back? And what's happened to you?" Watching this stranger move he could see Roxas in him, yet he looked so different. Could this really be his lost lover? Roxas turned and smiled at him brilliantly before giving him a hug.

"The Almighty sent me back." He murmured as he cuddled against Axel's chest. His shirt was still soft, just like Roxas remembered. "But he made me mortal and to do that he used the body of a boy who was already gone. His name was Sora, but I'm Roxas and I love you so much Axel." Really believing for the first time, Axel hugged Roxas tightly and the blond looked up as he felt wetness against his neck. Axel was crying?

"Roxas." The redhead's voice was rough as he reached up with one hand to wipe away the tears, still holding the other boy close to his chest. "I missed you so much." Roxas blinked and clung to his lover tightly and for a moment, their tears mingled. He'd missed Axel just as much, so much it had hurt.

The intense moment of reunion couldn't last and Roxas was glad. That much emotion was painfully intense. Roxas drew back, sniffling and wiping his eyes before he smiled.

"I know what we can do to bond again!" Axel blinked as Roxas pointed a finger at his nose. "We're going to clean! Together! Go get the garbage bags." Axel grinned and went to pull out the garbage bags. That was the Roxas he knew and loved. Soon they were cleaning the apartment together and it felt so familiar.

"Axel?" Roxas said, a bit hesitantly. "I know you like big dogs, but would a Chihuahua be okay? And would you like to move to my apartment? It's nicer and allows dogs." Axel's didn't which was the main reason he didn't have one. The redhead laughed and gave him a quick kiss.

"I'd love a Chihuahua." He'd never thought about owning a tiny dog before but right now it sounded like the best thing in the world. Axel was high on life and the return of the most important person in his life. Smiling, he snagged a pop can and tossed it into the recycling bag.

All was right with the world.

* * *

Roxas pulled a batch of chocolate chip cookies out of the oven, smiling and humming to himself.

Things had changed a lot for him and Axel from what he remembered. Roxas had taken up Sora's job as a vet tech, which he knew how to do perfectly well from the brunette's memories and knowledge. He hadn't kept Sora's friends though. Most of them had been very offended by how quickly he'd forgotten about Riku. The only one he'd told the truth to had been Kairi and she had told him to see a psychiatrist. That made Roxas rather sad, but he knew Sora didn't care what anyone thought of him. He was happy in Heaven with Riku.

He had Axel's friends though, and they were all very happy to see the redhead going on and finding a new love interest. Although several of them were uncomfortable with Axel calling his new lover Roxy and a few of them had mentioned it to him. Roxas grinned as he thought about it. It had been all he could do not to burst out laughing at them. Eventually, he hoped everyone would get used to it. For now the cookies needed to –

"Those look great. Gimme a cookie kid." Roxas almost jumped out of his skin at the rough voice. Whirling around he saw a snake coiled on the kitchen table.

"No!" Roxas retorted, relishing the ability to tell the Adversary that. The snake managed to look hurt, which was a really good trick for a reptile. "What are you doing here?" Roxas didn't want to see the Prosecutor again. He wanted to go on with his life as a human.

"What, I can't stop by for cookies? Don't suppose you have anymore syrup?" The snake flicked his scales with the tip of his tail. Roxas stared at him, expression indicating he was less than amused. "You're definitely getting the hang of being human kid. Getting an edge to you, heh."

"Save it. What are you really here for?" Roxas wasn't in the mood to listen to the great angel's wit and as a human, he didn't have to.

"I just thought you'd like to know why you got sent back, kid." Roxas blinked and tilted his head. He was a bit curious about that. Satan's voice was warm as he went on. "It's because you did good, you and Axel both. You did good kid."

"Oh. Um, I – HEY!" Another snake was stealing a cookie! The snake on the table vanished as Roxas lunged at the second snake, which dropped onto the floor and slithered into the dining room. "Hey, that's not yours!" He chased the snake around the room but the reptile had a surprising turn of speed. The way the great angel was laughing at him only made it more frustrating for the little angel.

"Roxas, what's all the shouting about?" Axel's sleepy voice came from the bedroom and he walked out and almost got slapped in the face by black wings as a very large raven with a cookie in its beak made a break past him for the window. "Wha – GAH!" Roxas ran into the redhead, knocking him down as the raven cawed, amused, and took off into the wild blue yonder.

"Satan, you're bad!" Roxas shook his fist at the departing angel as Axel stared at him, wide eyed. "Don't worry. It was just the Adversary. He came by to steal a cookie." Axel started to laugh until he was shaking, and hugged his surprised lover tightly.

"Only you could say that with a straight face, Roxas." Axel said fondly as he ruffled brown hair. "I love you so much." Roxas looked up into his face and entirely forgot about the cookie as the redhead kissed him. They were both oblivious to the raven, sitting on the balcony and watching them as he ate his cookie.

Sometimes, it was nice to see a happy ending.

_~FIN~_


End file.
